A church in the heart of Naples was devastated on Monday to find that thieves had made off with hundreds of valuable figurines from its famed antique crib.
The Church of San Nicola alla Carita' said some 300 miniatures worth around one million euros had disappeared from its centuries-old Nativity scene overnight.
The only statuettes left were those of the baby Jesus, a donkey and several sheep.
The stolen figurines, some of which were mechanical, were up to 50 centimetres tall and most of them dated back to the 1700s.
The Nativity scene is one of the most renowned in the southern city and a popular attraction over the Christmas period with churchgoers and tourists.
It consists of six scenes, each set up in separate corners of the church.
Four of them represent episodes from the life of Jesus while the remaining two represent scenes from 18th-century Neapolitan life complete with clockwork figures.
The figurines are clad in 300-year-old costumes made out of embellished velvet, silk, linen and damask and each one is holding objects or tools to indicate his or her trade.
Father Mario Rego, who is in charge of the church, was inconsolable.
"These figurines are priceless because their loss has ruined one of the greatest joys possible - that of the children who flock here to see them," Rego said.
He said the thieves had broken into a side door of the church using a blowtorch to burn through the lock.
Police have opened an investigation.
The theft was the latest incident in a city which has been hit by soaring crime.
The government has sent in more police to try and curb the rise in the number of murders, muggings and burglaries and restore order.
