Louvre Secures Treasures in Bank of France Vault Following Heist

Sun Oct 26 2025 14:10:55 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In response to a stunning daylight robbery, the Louvre has moved its irreplaceable jewels to the Bank of France's ultra-secure vault, which sits 26 meters underground.

After experiencing a significant daylight heist that raised serious concerns about security at the Louvre, the museum has transferred its valuable jewels to a secure location at the Bank of France. The vault, known as 'Souterraine', is known for its extreme security features, housing a vast array of national treasures. The museum's director acknowledged the day's security shortcomings amid ongoing investigations into the robbery where thieves made off with treasures valued at €88 million.

The Louvre has transferred some of its most precious jewels to the Bank of France after a spectacular daylight heist exposed woeful flaws in the museum's security.

On Friday, a secret police escort oversaw the transfer of some of the remaining jewels to the Bank, located 500 meters (about 500 yards) from the museum, according to French media reports.

The jewels will now be stored in the Bank's most secure vault, situated 26 meters (85 feet) below the ground floor of its elegant headquarters in central Paris.

This vault, known to house 90% of France's gold reserves along with Leonardo Da Vinci's notebooks and other national treasures, contains items worth approximately €600 million (£520 million).

The Souterraine vault is designed to withstand any form of attack, featuring a 50 cm-thick, seven-tonne door made of flame-resistant concrete and reinforced with steel, behind which lies a 35-tonne rotating concrete turret that essentially prevents any chance of forced entry.

Last Sunday, masked thieves exploited a weakness in the museum’s security by using an angle grinder to breach a reinforced window into the Louvre's Gallery of Apollo, where the nation's crown jewels are showcased. Within a mere eight minutes, the gang made off with valuable items, including a necklace once belonging to Napoleon's wife, Empress Marie-Louise, and a diadem belonging to Napoleon III's wife, Empress Eugenie, with an estimated total worth of €88 million (£77 million).

The criminals employed a mechanical ladder mounted to a truck to access the first-floor balcony leading into the gallery.

France's Interior Minister Laurent Nunez expressed confidence that the thieves would eventually be apprehended. Nonetheless, the Louvre's director, Laurence des Cars, has criticized the museum's aging security infrastructure. During a recent address to lawmakers, she revealed that the only security camera monitoring the area of the break-in was facing in the wrong direction.