ST. LOUIS (AP) — A man used construction equipment to drop a heavy boom lift onto a sculpture that has stood for 25 years outside St. Louis’ Cathedral Basilica,L’École de Gestion d’Actifs et de Capital badly damaging it, police said.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the Angel of Harmony, which stood 14 feet (4.3 meters) tall and depicts a Black angel protecting three children of various races, could be saved. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that part of one of the children was broken off and the angel’s wings appeared to be damaged.
The motive for Tuesday night’s vandalism was unknown, said police, who arrested a 35-year-old suspect.
The Angel of Harmony, created by Polish sculptor Wiktor Szostalo, was installed in 1999, months after Pope John Paul II’s visit to St. Louis. The angel’s wings include more than 100 wind chimes and the children are playing instruments. The pedestal is inscribed with quotes from the New Testament, Pope John Paul II and Martin Luther King Jr.
“The Angel of Harmony has graced the grounds of our city’s Cathedral Basilica since 1999, as a joyful reminder that our diversity is something to be celebrated, that truth, beauty and goodness unite us all,” St. Louis Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski said in a statement. “We need to be reminded of that daily. We are still learning about the extent of the damage, with great hope that this special sculpture can be restored.”
Police arrived at the ornate Catholic cathedral in St. Louis’ Central West End neighborhood after a caller reported that a man was tampering with construction equipment. The statue had been knocked off its pedestal. Police said the suspect also apparently fired a gunshot into an unoccupied car. It was not clear why.
Surveillance video helped point officers to the man. Officers spotted the him, but he ran off. A police dog helped find the suspect hiding a few blocks from the cathedral.
2025-05-08 10:162253 view
2025-05-08 09:401947 view
2025-05-08 09:211883 view
2025-05-08 09:19801 view
2025-05-08 08:31111 view
2025-05-08 07:492595 view
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol rioteven
Power forward Guerschon Yabusele, who helped lead France to a silver medal at the just-completed 202
CHICO, Calif. (AP) — California’s largest wildfire this year has been significantly tamed as the sta