DON’T MISS
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingIamExpat Webinars
Newsletters
EXPAT INFO
CAREER
HOUSING
EDUCATION
LIFESTYLE
EXPAT SERVICES
NEWS & ARTICLES
Home
Expat Info
Swiss news & articles
How rood: Man steals cross from Swiss church, then leaves it in nightclub
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy

How rood: Man steals cross from Swiss church, then leaves it in nightclub

Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy
or
follow us for regular updates:



Related Stories

Mallard duck caught speeding in SwitzerlandMallard duck caught speeding in Switzerland
Man caught with crocodile head in luggage at Zurich AirportMan caught with crocodile head in luggage at Zurich Airport
Zurich compost inspections named Switzerland's silliest law for 2024Zurich compost inspections named Switzerland's silliest law for 2024
Zurich police investigated after leaving woman marooned on islandZurich police investigated after leaving woman marooned on island
[Video] Wil Carnival-goers attempt to fill Swiss police car with confetti[Video] Wil Carnival-goers attempt to fill Swiss police car with confetti
Expat in Zurich fined for putting a small cardboard box in a tram stop binExpat in Zurich fined for putting a small cardboard box in a tram stop bin
Swiss police department reveal their strangest crimes of 2023Swiss police department reveal their strangest crimes of 2023
Swiss fire brigade scrambled 10 separate times because of pigeons Swiss fire brigade scrambled 10 separate times because of pigeons
For expats of all colours, shapes and sizes

Explore
Expat infoCareerHousingEducationLifestyleExpat servicesNews & articles
About us
IamExpat MediaAdvertisePost a jobContact usSitemap
More IamExpat
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingWebinarsNewsletters
Privacy
Terms of usePrivacy policyCookiesAvoiding scams

Never miss a thing!Sign up for expat events, news & offers, delivered once a week.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy


© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
Nov 20, 2022
Jan de Boer

Editor at IamExpat Media

Jan studied History at the University of York and Broadcast Journalism at the University of Sheffield. Though born in York, Jan has lived most of his life in Zurich and has worked as a journalist, writer and editor since 2016. While he has plunged head-first back into life in Switzerland since returning to the country in 2020, he still enjoys a taste of home at pub quizzes and karaoke nights.Read more

Typically, you would expect that if a person was sold on committing a crime, they would actually follow through. However, it seems as though one man was overcome with piety - or more likely stupidity - after he stole a cross from a church in Valais, and then left the stolen good in a nightclub.

Man in Switzerland steals cross in nighttime drunken raid

According to the emergency services, on the night of November 11, a man entered the local parish church in Martigny, Canton Valais. The suspect, who 20 minuten described as “inebriated”, decided to take a tour of the historical site, moving various objects and at one point opening the church organ.

However, his drunken tour quickly turned into a robbery, after he took a cross that was placed on the church altar. Upon discovering the blasphemous theft, the resident pastor called the local police, who quickly began searching for the suspect.

Drunken man soon loses faith in the crime

Luckily, it did not take long for officers to find the man, who immediately confessed to the crime. What’s more, it seems he may have lost faith in his actions, as the cross he stole was found in a local nightclub, completely abandoned, just a day later. The events in the nightclub after he stole the cross, for both the Swiss media (and most likely the suspect), remain blurred.

The cross he stole is now back in its rightful place in the church, and the pastor did not press charges against the man. However, the 32-year-old may not be out of the woods just yet, as his case has now been referred to the public prosecutor by police.

By Jan de Boer