17th-century gilded wooden reliquary urn recovered by FBI Boston, believed stolen from an Italian church between 2012 and 2022
BOSTON, Mass.- US authorities have returned a 17th-century Italian church artifact to Italy following an international cultural heritage investigation involving Italian and US partners.
The gilded wooden reliquary urn, believed to have been stolen from the Church of San Michele Arcangelo di Cangiano between 2012 and 2022, was recovered in the United States by FBI Boston in February 2026 at the request of Italy’s Ministry of Culture.
U.S. investigators working with Italian cultural heritage authorities and law enforcement traced the artifact through the international antiques trade to a dealer in the northeastern United States, where it was voluntarily relinquished for repatriation.
The urn is registered as protected ecclesiastical heritage in Italy and is subject to cultural property safeguards under agreements between the Italian Episcopal Conference and the Vatican.
The return was finalized during a repatriation ceremony in Rome on April 29, 2026, marking the conclusion of the investigation.
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