9 pieces in 7 minutes: This is how Napoleon's jewels were stolen from the Louvre.

BarcelonaIt's not a movie script, but it feels like one. This Sunday morning, just over half an hour after its doors opened, the most visited and famous museum in the world, the Louvre, was evacuated. All tourists had to quickly leave the halls because masked thieves had entered the Apollo Gallery. In a lightning-fast raid, they stole nine pieces—one of which they lost along the way—from the collection of jewels that form part of the French treasury and were worn by kings and members of the Bonaparte dynasty. The museum remained closed all Sunday, in part to prevent the destruction of evidence and facilitate the investigation. On their website The robbery occurred between 9:30 and 9:40 a.m. French Culture Minister Rachida Dati announced on social media that an investigation had been opened and that there were no victims or injuries.

The thieves gained access to the building, which had once been the luxurious palace of the French monarchy, using a freight elevator—an escalator installed in the street—that was being used for construction work. They entered directly into the Apollo Gallery, the hall built by Louis XIV, who chose the sun as his emblem and named after the deity of light, music, and poetry.

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

The attackers attempted to steal nine pieces from the collection. Specifically, according to the French Ministry of Culture, the stolen pieces are: a tiara, the sapphire necklace and earring (one of a pair) from the Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense sets, the emerald necklace, and a pair of emerald earrings "along with" the tiara and a brooch belonging to Empress Eugénie. A more than considerable haul.

The Ministry of Culture explained that the gallery's security alarms were activated "immediately." "Museum officers, who were in the vicinity, intervened very quickly, applying the established protocol: notifying security forces and prioritizing the protection of visitors." According to the ministry, thanks to the security guards' actions, the thieves fled "hastily": "They left behind several pieces of equipment and some stolen objects, including Empress Eugénie's crown, which was recovered." Sadly, the famous, priceless crown, designed by the goldsmith Alexandre-Gabriel Lemonnier and commissioned by Napoleon III as a wedding gift for Eugénie in 1853, was damaged.

Many of the jewels on display in the Apollo Room have a long history. They were part of the French monarchs' heritage until the French Revolution, when 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 treasury. The Apollo Room is a celebration of the luxury and ostentation that often accompanies monarchies. Louis XIV had a true passion for precious stones and had an impressive collection: 800 pieces.

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, it was hidden in the beams of a ceiling during the French Revolution. This famous diamond is still in the Louvre. The thieves didn't take it.

Authorities believe it was a highly organized team that may have planned the robbery in advance. Investigators are now analyzing security cameras to identify the perpetrators of the theft. The Paris Prosecutor's Office has ordered an investigation by the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Judicial Police (BRB) and the Office for Combating Trafficking in Cultural Property. The potential value of everything the thieves stole has not yet been disclosed. One of the issues that concerns investigators is that the thieves may dismantle the jewelry to sell it, making it more difficult to recover it.

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. Up 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 lamented. 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.

The theft could bring about 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 emerged the next day 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.