A prominent central Wellington church may close for a “day of mourning” after two spiritually significant paintings were stolen in broad daylight.
St Peter’s Church on Willis has made a public appeal to get the items returned to them, and says no questions will be asked of whoever brings them back.
“We want whoever took them to recognise that they’re precious to us,” the Reverend Stephen King said.
One of the two missing artworks was created by his co-vicar at the Anglican church, the Reverend Jean Malcolm.
She told the Herald she spent about 40 hours over several years creating her depiction of the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus on a golden background.
The second artwork was a print of a sixth-century painting known as the Icon of Christ and Abbot Mena, the original of which hangs in the Louvre museum in Paris.
Malcolm said she noticed the paintings were missing from the church on Tuesday afternoon, just before a choir rehearsal started.
The priests said the church was normally open to the public during the day and people were always coming in and out.
It is the second blow this year for the church: its brass eagle lectern was intentionally damaged on Easter weekend, forcing the church to temporarily close until it was fixed.
After the recent theft, some members of their parish wanted to restrict access to the church, but Malcolm and King did not agree.
“We’re about being open, and we know that comes with risk, but that’s part of who we are here,” Malcolm said.
The ministers said neither of the stolen artworks held much monetary value.
They believed the person who took them might be someone experiencing hardship or mental health struggles.
“Sometimes people take things because they’re either disturbed by them or drawn to them,” King said.
“Sometimes people take things because there’s a voice in their head that tells them to.”
The ministers had no plans to report the theft to the police.
“We would rather be reunited with the icons and have the opportunity to be reconciled with the person that took them, because they matter to us as well,” Malcolm said.
Members of the church community have contacted the ministers to express their shock and condolences, but no one had any information on the whereabouts of the paintings.
If the icons are not returned to the church by next week, it will be closed for a day of mourning.
Janhavi Gosavi is a Wellington-based journalist for the New Zealand Herald who covers news in the capital.