Saint’s Remains Stolen: "Occult" Hypotheses Surface After Targeted Raid on Vendée Church

The quiet coastal community of Olonne-sur-Mer is in shock following the profanation of its parish church on the night of December 20, 2025. In what police are calling a "surgical" operation, thieves bypassed valuable liturgical items to specifically target the reliquary of Saint Vivent (St. Viventius), a 4th-century figure credited with early evangelization in the region.

The theft of the saint’s skull and various bones has sparked alarm due to its strange precursors: the parish priest, Father Olivier Gaignet, reportedly noted that individuals had been asking unusually detailed questions about the saint's remains in the weeks leading up to the crime. This has led investigators to explore the possibility that the relics were stolen for private collectors or esoteric rituals rather than financial gain. While the town of Les Sables-d'Olonne increases patrols around its historical landmarks, the local diocese has called for a day of reparation, emphasizing that the loss of these 1,600-year-old remains is a profound wound to the cultural and spiritual fabric of the Vendée.