It was 10:30 pm on Friday when Arthur Brand received the package he had been waiting nervously for days. He rang the bell and when the door opened there was no one. At his feet a cardboard box was waiting for him in the dark.

Opening it, he found one of the most sacred objects stolen from the Catholic Church, preserved for 1,000 years in the abbey of Fecamp, in the north of France: the relic of the “Precious Blood of Christ”.

“My heart was beating fast,” the art detective said in an interview with the AFP agency on the recovery of the lost treasure, which must now be handed over to the Dutch security forces after receiving a request from France to investigate the identity of the thief and the authenticity of the work.

Brand has been called “the Indiana Jones of the art world” for her impressive recoveries of stolen works of art, including bronze statues. “Hitler’s Horses”a painting by Picasso and a ring that belonged to Oscar Wilde. At 52, he is one of the most famous art detectives in the world, recognized by thieves and police for his unprecedented access to the criminal trade in stolen works of art.

But receiving the relic of the “Precious Blood of Christ” was a special experience for him. “As a Catholic I am, this is it as close as possible to Jesus and the Holy Grail“He assured.” It was a religious experience. “

When he opened the box, he was delighted to find that the relic was intact. gold medallionabout 30 centimeters high and adorned with precious stones, images of Christ on the cross and other saints, it preserves two metal containers which according to believers contain drops of Jesus’ blood collected during the crucifixion.

The relic was cult object for Catholic pilgrims for over a thousand yearsHe was in the Abbey of Fecamp, in French Normandy, until the night between 1 and 2 June last, when he was stolen, two weeks before the annual celebrations of the SS. Body and Blood of Christ.

“It was a huge shock to have this famous piece stolen, this one legendary pieceBrand testified at his home, where he keeps the relic. But the locket wasn’t the only item in the cardboard box left on Brand’s doorstep that July night. There were also several liturgical plates in copperimages of saints and a decorated chalice, also stolen from the abbey in June.

Brand showed the medallion to the AFP, which could not verify its authenticity or that of the other objects recovered, which have not yet been examined by the police or experts. Nor was it possible to get a comment from the abbey: “Following the investigation, our findings and the relic will be handed over to the French police,” he explained on his side. Dennis Janus, spokesman for the Dutch National Police.

But Brand doesn’t doubt its authenticity: “I have no doubt it’s the real thing. Religious objects are nearly impossible to fake,” he said. Brand said his involvement in the case began shortly after the robbery, when he received a message from anonymous person which he claimed to be in his possession.

“This person wrote to me on behalf of another person, in whose house the relic was kept,” Brand said. it’s a curse“, he assured.

“When they figured out what it was, that it couldn’t be sold, they knew they had to get rid of it,” he explained. Brand showed AFP a message in Dutch in which the person asked to receive the stolen item because it was too risky to return it to the abbey anyway. They warned him the object would be brought to his home, with no date or time.

“I was practically a prisoner in my house for a week. I couldn’t go out,” he laughed. The objects eventually showed up, delivered anonymously. She believed they had caught him because “it would be very dangerous to involve the police”. Brand said: “These people know my reputation. The most important thing is return it to the church. We hope it will stay there for another thousand years. “