Queens crown snatched from museum in Madagascar

Break in and gone is the 19th century Madagascan queens crown

Published on 5 December 2011

Author(s): AFP News Service

Type:  News

A Madagascan coronation crown was stolen from a museum Sunday, an official said.

The crown, which was used in the enthronements of Ranavalona I and other 19th century Madagascan queens, was swiped from the Museum of Andafiavaratra early Sunday after someone smashed a window and broke into the building, Culture and Heritage Minister Elia Ravelomanantsoa told AFP.

The red-colored crown was made partly from gold leaf and had a highly symbolic value. Ravelomanantsoa said the crown was regarded as the most important artifact from the royal line.

The queen's palace burned down in 1995. Several salvaged artifacts including the crown were moved to the nearby museum. Officials are offering a reward for the crown's safe return.

Museum of Andafiavaratra.jpg
The crown was stolen from the Museum of Andafiavaratra, which was once the palace of Madagascar's prime minister. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

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