Thieves break into the Louvre and steal Napoleon's jewels.

BarcelonaThis Sunday morning, just as the Louvre Museum was opening its doors, masked thieves entered the Apollo Gallery and stole several pieces from the Napoleon and Empress's jewelry collection. The museum announced that it will remain partially closed today to prevent the destruction of evidence.

The robbery occurred between 9:30 and 9:40 a.m. French Culture Minister Rachida Dati explained on social media that an investigation has been opened and that there were no victims or injuries.

The thieves gained access to the building using a freight elevator that was being used for construction work next to the museum. They went directly into the Apollo Gallery, where numerous jewels are on display, as the Louvre explains on its website.

Interior Minister and former Paris police prefect Laurent Nuñez told France Inter that the thieves broke several windows with a saw. Two of them then entered the museum, while a third waited outside. They fled on two TMax motorcycles toward the A6 motorway. The operation only lasted seven minutes. "They acted very, very quickly," the minister said.

According to the newspaper The ParisianThe robbers allegedly stole nine pieces from Napoleon and Empress Eugénie's jewelry collection, including a necklace, a brooch, and a diadem. The pieces were displayed in the Napoleon and French Sovereigns showcases. During their escape, the thieves stole one of the jewels, the crown of Empress Eugénie de Montijo, which the police found near the building. Sadly, the famous tiara, which was designed by the goldsmith Alexandre-Gabriel Lemonnier and commissioned by Napoleon III as a wedding gift for Eugénie in 1853, was damaged. The piece is made of 212 natural pearls and 1,998 old-cut diamonds.

Many of the jewels on display in the Apollo Room have a long history. They were part of the French monarchs' heritage until, during the French Revolution, many pieces were stolen and sold or lost. When Napoleon I proclaimed himself Emperor of France in May 1804, he did everything possible to rebuild the crown treasure.

One of the jewels recovered by the French emperor is one of the largest diamonds in the world and in the collection: the famous Regent, weighing over 140 carats. Discovered in mines in India, during the French Revolution, it was hidden in the beams of a ceiling. This famous diamond is still in the Louvre because the thieves didn't take it.

Authorities believe it was a highly organized team that planned the robbery in advance. Investigators are now analyzing security cameras to identify the perpetrators of the robbery, who are still at large.

The mayor of Paris Centre, Ariel Weil, explained to The Parisian The theft has caused him great "stupefaction." "It's a crash that will necessarily raise questions about security," he said. "It feels like we're in an Arsène Lupin story. Until now, it seemed like a movie script. We find it hard to imagine that it's apparently so easy to steal from the Louvre," he laments. Weil also asserted that the unexpected closure of the museum, which welcomed nearly 9 million visitors last year, 80% of whom were foreign tourists, has caused some public order problems.

In fact, this theft could lead to some changes at the museum. The Minister of Culture has already suggested that it may have to adapt to increasingly sophisticated methods and groups: "Museums must adapt to new forms of criminality, which are organized and professional gangs that quietly enter, take the loot, and leave without using violence," she stated. One of the most famous robberies at the Louvre took place more than a century ago. On August 21, 1911, the painting most admired by tourists, The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, disappeared. It was taken by Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian who worked at the museum. He hid overnight and, the next day, emerged with the painting hidden under his robe. The painting was recovered in 1913 in Florence, after Peruggia attempted to sell it to an Italian collector.