This Painting Hung at a Church in Mexico for 200 Years Before It Was Stolen in 2001. Now, It’s Finally Returning Home

Titled “St. Francis of Assisi,” the 1747 standing portrait of the church’s namesake was stolen in 2001, along with several other items

Sarah Kuta | Daily Correspondent

November 21, 2025

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On the evening of January 6, 2001, thieves broke into the Church of San Francisco de Asis in Teotihuacán, Mexico, and stole more than a dozen works of art. Now, more than two decades later, one of those pieces has been returned safely, reports ARTnews’ Brian Boucher.

The artwork in question is St. Francis of Assisi, a six-foot-tall oil painting of the church’s namesake created in 1747 by an unknown artist. The standing portrait, valued at around $15,000, had been hanging in the church for more than 200 years when it was stolen, along with seven 17th-century miniature paintings that were part of the altar and ten other artworks.

It’s not clear who stole St. Francis of Assisi, nor exactly what happened to it. But it reappeared in 2018, when a consignor asked Mexico City auction house Morton Subastas to sell it.

However, as part of its standard due diligence procedures, Morton Subastas experts checked in with the Art Loss Register, a private database of missing paintings, sculptures, antiquities, jewelry and collectibles. When the register revealed the painting had been stolen, the auction house halted the sale.

The recovery process was lengthy, in part because the consignor brought forward a legal claim against the person he had purchased the painting from. As a result, police seized the painting and held onto it for seven years, reports Artnet’s Richard Whiddington.

Once the legal case was resolved earlier this year, the Art Loss Register and Morton Subastas worked together to recover the painting. On November 9, all their hard work paid off when the artwork finally returned to home.

It was rehung in its original place during a ceremonial handover that included the church’s priest, members of the congregation and several religious and civil leaders. More than 1,000 individuals attended the event in Teotihuacán, located roughly 25 miles northeast of Mexico City, according to a statement.

“It is quite rare for us to see the recovered item in person, in situ, and the ceremony was a profoundly touching experience with many tears of joy,” Charlotte Chambers-Farah, business development and client manager for the Art Loss Register, tells Artnet in an email. “This wasn’t just the recovery of a physical work of art—it marked the return of an object deeply integral to their faith.”

St. Francis of Assisi shows St. Francis carrying a cross in one hand and a skull in the other, with a lamb standing on the ground next to him. He is depicted with wounds on his hands and feet, known as the stigmata, which mirror those Jesus’ suffered during his crucifixion.

The portrait is meant to symbolize an account of a specific period in St. Francis’ life, per Artnet. In 1224, at the age of 42, he spent 40 days fasting and praying on Mount La Verna, Tuscany, to prepare for the feast of St. Michael. He returned with the stigmata in his hands, feet and side, which caused him to bleed for two years until his death in 1226.

For the Church of San Francisco de Asis and its congregants, the painting’s recovery has “inexplicable significance,” says Teodoro García Romero, the church’s priest, in the statement.

“For two decades we feared this treasure might be lost forever,” he adds. “Its return is a moment of excitement and faith for our church and city because we know that this will be a historic moment in the life of the community.”

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Sarah Kuta is a writer and editor based in Longmont, Colorado. She covers history, science, travel, food and beverage, sustainability, economics and other topics.