Someone sets fire to a statue of the Virgin during Mass at the Basilica of Guingamp (France)
The police say the fire was deliberate. It interrupted the celebration on 8 September and caused serious damage to the image's garments.
Image of the damage
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The Monday, 8 September 2025, coinciding with the festival of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, a mass at the Basilica of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours in Guingamp (Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany) was interrupted when someone set fire to the robes of a statue of the Virgin and Child.
According to the faithful, the fire broke out at around 6 pm, in the midst of the celebration. “The service was interrupted because someone was heard shouting, ‘Fire, fire!’”, explained one of the witnesses present at The Telegraph. Despite the use of a fire extinguisher, the damage to the image's vestments was considerable.
Pain from an arson attack
The police and the forensic identification team went to collect evidence, fingerprints and DNA samples. The investigators rule out that it was an accident and speak of a… intentional act. A parishioner declared: “It's unbearable to see this. I'm sure it was deliberate. Why do something like that?”
The Virgin wore fabrics and embroideries that required Thousands of hours of artisanal work. For Mona Braz, president of the Friends of Guingamp Heritage Association, this destruction goes far beyond the religious: it represents damage to the collective and affective heritage of the city.“Everyone is bound to Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours, whether they are believers or not.… it is painful to see clothes with elaborate embroidery, crafted over many hours, go up in flames.”
Political silence
Unlike other acts of desecration—such as those targeting the Muslim community, which took place on the same day in Paris—this episode has not generated any significant institutional reaction at either level. neither regional nor national. This absence of a public voice has been perceived as a Double standard of indignation against aggression towards other religions but not towards Catholicism.
The Basilica of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours, elevated to a minor basilica in the 19th century, plays a central spiritual and heritage role in Guingamp. Its processional networks, liturgical acts and the retable of the Black Virgin in the north porch are part of a deep cultic and identity tradition, catalogued as a Historic Monument.
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