Louvre's Apollo Gallery reopens without Crown Jewels after heist

The Louvre Museum's Apollo Gallery will reopen to visitors on Wednesday nine months after a daring heist stripped the space of €88 million worth of French Crown Jewels, with the room returning to its original role as a ceremonial state gallery without its precious display cases, museum President Christophe Leribault told French daily Le Parisien. Visitors will instead view the gallery's painted and sculpted decorations, including ceilings designed by Charles Le Brun during the reign of Louis XIV in 1661. The space later served as the architectural model for the renowned Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles.

Nine treasures stolen in minutes

Four thieves executed the burglary on October 19, 2025, using a truck-mounted platform to reach and force open a window, stealing nine items within minutes, according to local media reports. The stolen collection included necklaces, earrings, tiaras and brooches from the historic collections of Marie-Louise, Marie-Amelie, Hortense and Empress Eugenie. Investigators later recovered Empress Eugenie's crown, which the robbers abandoned near the museum during their escape, though eight pieces remain missing and the damaged crown is now undergoing restoration.

Leribault said nearly all components of Eugenie's crown remained intact despite the damage sustained during the theft. The remaining Crown Jewels that escaped the burglars' grasp will eventually transfer to a secure, windowless room elsewhere in the museum complex, eliminating public display of the collection from the Apollo Gallery indefinitely.

Leadership shakeup follows security breach

Laurence des Cars, who served as director of the Louvre at the time of the robbery, offered her resignation to French authorities immediately following the security breach, but Culture Minister Rachida Dati rejected the offer. Des Cars nevertheless stepped down from her post in February, with Leribault succeeding her as museum president shortly thereafter. The stolen jewels were not covered by private insurance policies, leaving the institution to absorb the full financial impact of the losses.