Reliquary housing bone fragments of Saint Nicholas stolen from French basilica, destroyed

A reliquary containing bone fragments of Saint Nicholas of Myra, the historical inspiration for Santa Claus, was stolen from a basilica in Lorraine, France, and destroyed last week.Originally reported on Thursday by French outlet L'Est Républicain, the Saint Nicholas Parish in Lorraine confirmed the matter in a Saturday statement shared to social media.“It is with profound sadness that the Saint Nicholas Parish in Lorraine has learned of the events reported in the press regarding the theft and destruction of the relic of Saint Nicholas, which was kept on the patronal altar within the basilica,” the parish wrote in its statement.While the theft reportedly took place on October 28, the discovery of the crime and subsequent filing of a police complaint took place on November 2. Police were able to identify and arrest the thief, who confessed to breaking the display before reportedly burning and crushing the relic. Thief driven to destory relic by 'form of fetishism'According to L'Est Républicain, the thief told police he had “acted impulsively,” driven by a desire to destroy the relic, in what he claimed to be a "form of fetishism."After being held in police custody, L'Est Républicain reported that he was brought before a French court, where a psychiatric evaluation concluded that he was legally responsible for the crime.“Beyond the heritage value of this object…