Eight crown jewels of France were stolen there last October and are still untraceable. The Apollo gallery reopens to the public, but empty. There will no longer be any windows or jewelry on display.
Robbed last October, the Apollo gallery of the Louvre Museum reopens to the public on Wednesday, the establishment told Agence Radio France on Tuesday July 21, confirming information from the Parisian. But “without collections and precious objects”.
Nearly nine months after what some consider “the heist of the century”, with loot estimated at 88 million euros, the gallery will be open to visitors but empty. The new president director of the Louvre, Christophe Leribault, wishes to restore its original 17th century function, that of a ceremonial gallery.
This golden room, with a ceiling height of 15 meters, was commissioned by Louis XIV. Over the centuries, great French artists have added their touch. We find decorations signed by Charles Le Brun and Eugène Delacroix. “It’s our own Hall of Mirrors”underlines Christophe Leribault.
A “vault” soon to be created
On October 19, 2025, a commando entered this gallery using a bucket truck and stole eight jewels from the Crown of France in broad daylight, still untraceable. The precious objects not stolen will be exhibited within a few months, in a real “vault”promises the president director of the Louvre. “We are going to create a secure room, without windows, in another place in the museum,” he explains.
But we have to find “financing”he adds. Because other projects have also been announced: the main entrance today via the pyramid needs to be reviewed, the security of the museum must be rethought… Not to mention the moving of the Mona Lisa in a new room in the museum, confirmed by Christophe Leribault. You will have to pay a few euros more to be able to admire it.
This work is estimated at one billion euros, colossal amounts, comparable to those necessary for the reconstruction of Notre-Dame Cathedral. We must already find 360 million euros by next year. Without support from patrons and the State, Christophe Leribault is categorical: the Louvre, the largest museum in the world with its approximately 9 million visitors, risks closing its doors.
Source: Franceinfo
:quality(50)/2026/07/21/6a5f229c66f67355499167.jpg&description=The+Apollon+gallery+reopens+on+Wednesday%2C+almost+nine+months+after+the+spectacular+Louvre+burglary){kind=link}