A vandal badly damaged a statue outside a St. Louis cathedral, police say

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A person used building gear to drop a heavy increase elevate onto a sculpture that has stood for 25 years exterior St. Louis’ Cathedral Basilica, badly damaging it, police stated.

It wasn’t instantly clear whether or not the Angel of Concord, which stood 14 toes (4.3 meters) tall and depicts a Black angel defending three youngsters of assorted races, might be saved. The St. Louis Submit-Dispatch reported that a part of one of many youngsters was damaged off and the angel’s wings seemed to be broken.

The motive for Tuesday night time’s vandalism was unknown, stated police, who arrested a 35-year-old suspect.

The Angel of Concord, created by Polish sculptor Wiktor Szostalo, was put in in 1999, months after Pope John Paul II’s go to to St. Louis. The angel’s wings embrace greater than 100 wind chimes and the youngsters are enjoying devices. The pedestal is inscribed with quotes from the New Testomony, Pope John Paul II and Martin Luther King Jr.

“The Angel of Concord has graced the grounds of our metropolis’s Cathedral Basilica since 1999, as a joyful reminder that our variety is one thing to be celebrated, that fact, magnificence and goodness unite us all,” St. Louis Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski stated in an announcement. “We must be reminded of that day by day. We’re nonetheless studying in regards to the extent of the injury, with nice hope that this particular sculpture might be restored.”

Police arrived on the ornate Catholic cathedral in St. Louis’ Central West Finish neighborhood after a caller reported {that a} man was tampering with building gear. The statue had been knocked off its pedestal. Police stated the suspect additionally apparently fired a gunshot into an unoccupied automotive. It was not clear why.

Surveillance video helped level officers to the person. Officers noticed the him, however he ran off. A police canine helped discover the suspect hiding a couple of blocks from the cathedral.