On February 6, 2024, an alabaster bas-relief from the sumptuous abbey church in Montivilliers, on the northern coast of France
was returned to the town hall of this Norman commune (the government in France owns all church property dating from before 1905.) It had taken almost 60 years to recover this precious object
Representing Christ emerging from his tomb
it had been stolen one night in March 1968
who had closed the church as he did every evening
must have unknowingly locked in the two prowlers he had seen just before leaving the premises
The parish priest then discovered the extent of the theft: Not just one bas-relief
but 10 — as well as three paintings — were missing
While all hope of finding the sculptures had been lost
Interpol was finally able to authenticate the bas-relief of the Risen Christ in 2016 in the catalog of a Parisian auction house
All the stolen objects are listed as historical monuments
giving them state protection and conservation
The Resurrection of Christ was quickly identified from the Ministry of Culture's photo database
the work was then kept at the Service of Museums of France in Paris
before being returned initially to the town hall of Montivilliers
It is now on display in the Condorcet Library
which has been carefully protected since it was stolen in 1968
Both will join the Library's heritage collection in a month's time
there is no exact count of the number of religious buildings in France
It’s estimated that there are around 70,000 places of worship of all denominations
There are between 40,000 and 50,000 of these
The theft of religious objects therefore primarily concerns Catholic heritage in France
France ranked second among the countries most affected by this type of theft
More than 1,400 incidents were recorded in 2018 and 2019
although "there has been a downward trend in recent years."
French law currently stipulates that the theft of cultural property kept in a building used for religious purposes is punishable by seven years' imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 euros
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Senegalese star Edouard Mendy has opened up about his omission from the 30-man Ballon d’Or shortlist
The 29-year-old was surprisingly omitted despite his fine displays for Chelsea FC in the UEFA Champions League and English Premier League
Mendy was not recognised for the prestigious individual honour
Ballon d’Or for the best players in the world
The award is presented by the French news magazine
France Football which is one of football’s oldest accolades having been introduced in 1956
who was born in the French city of Montivilliers
thinks he could have made the shortlist if he were a France international
“It’s something that motivates me and pushes me to work. Honestly, I am wondering,” Mendy told Canal Plus via Wiw Sport
“If I had played for France and had taken part in the Euro
would we have this debate and this reflection?”
Mendy played a key role in helping Chelsea clinch the 2020/21 Champions League title and he made history in the process
He equalled the record of most clean sheets in a Champions League season
It is the same as Santiago Cañizares in 2000/01 and Keylor Navas in 2015/16
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Édouard Mendy is a professional footballer from Senegal who has represented both his country and the Chelsea football club
and he is primarily known for playing as a goalkeeper
Mendy began his international career playing for the Senegal national team
he made his professional debut for the team
impressing fans and coaches with his skill and agility on the field
Edouard Mendy is a Senegalese professional footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Chelsea FC and the Senegal national team
He has made a name for himself in the football world with his impressive performances and incredible saves
we will take a closer look at Edouard Mendy’s biography and his journey to becoming one of the top goalkeepers in the world
a commune in the Normandy region of northern France
Edouard’s father passed away due to a serious health condition
Edouard Mendy had a deep passion for football and dreamt of becoming a professional footballer
His parents supported his dream and enrolled him in the Le Havre Caucriauville when he was only seven years old
Edouard Mendy started his professional career with AS Cherbourg in 2011
He stayed with the club for three years before being released in 2014
The goalkeeper was without a club for one year and started looking for jobs outside football to earn a living
the goalkeeper got a lifeline after signing for Marseille as their fourth-choice goalkeeper
he could not make it to the senior team and settled for a backup role in Marseille’s reserve team
he only spent one season at the club before joining Reims
He joined Reims during the 2016-17 Ligue 2 season and debuted against Amiens
He came on as a substitute after Johann Carrasso was sent off in the early minutes
the Senegalese started getting more minutes and proved his talent with a couple of clean sheets
He helped Reims win the 2017-18 Ligue 2 title and secure promotion to Ligue 1
thanks to his 18 clean sheets in 34 appearances
The club finished eighth in the 2018-19 league 1 season
with Edouard keeping fourteen clean sheets
The 30-year-old signed a 4-year-contract with Rennes in 2019 for around $4.3 million to replace Tomáš Koubek
Edouard Mendy’s clean sheets (9 in 24 games) helped the club finish third during the 2019-20 season
The Blues bought the player in September 2020 for $23.7 million to compete with Kepa Arrizabalaga and Willy Caballero
The Senegalese made his debut in a Carabao Cup tie at Tottenham Hotspurs
where he made impressive saves and received a lot of praise
He dethroned Kepa and became the first goalkeeper in Premier League to keep a clean sheet in their first three matches since Petr Čech in 2004
he is the only African goalkeeper in the league and the first since Carl Ikeme played for Wolves in the 2011-12 season
despite being born in France and having a father with roots in Guinea-Bissau
He has made several appearances for the Senegalese national team
His international debut for the team was in November 2018 in the match against Equatorial Guinea
Edouard was Senegal’s first-choice goalkeeper during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations games
he only played the opening two group stage matches against Tanzania and Algeria
He was forced to withdraw from the squad with a broken finger
Edouard Mendy has won several accolades throughout his football career
He was also named the best goalkeeper in Ligue 1 during the 2018-19 season
Edouard Mendy played a vital role in helping the club win the UEFA Champions League in the 2020-21 season
He kept a clean sheet in the final against Manchester City
which helped the Blues secure a 1-0 victory and lift the trophy
Mendy was named the Best FIFA Goalkeeper for the year 2022
a testament to his excellent performances throughout the year
He beat out tough competition from other top goalkeepers to win the award
Champions League Best Goalkeeper of the Season (2020/21)
Mendy played a crucial role in Chelsea’s Champions League campaign in the 2020/21 season
He was instrumental in their success and was named the Best Goalkeeper of the Season for his performances
Champions League Squad of the Season (2020/21)
Mendy’s performances in the Champions League were recognized by UEFA as he was named in the Champions League Squad of the Season for the 2020/21 campaign
Ghana Football Awards Best African International (2020/21)
Mendy was also named the Best African International at the Ghana Football Awards for his impressive performances throughout the season
Mendy was named the Best Goalkeeper of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations for his excellent performances in helping Senegal reach the quarter-finals of the competition
Mendy has been given an overall rating of 86 in the latest edition of the FIFA video game series
making him one of the best goalkeepers in the game
Mendy is also active on social media and has a significant following
He has over 2.2 million followers on Instagram and 3.4 million followers on Facebook
where fans can access the latest photos and news about the goalkeeper
Mendy takes home around $56,000 as a Chelsea goalkeeper in a week, which makes him one of the lowest-paid players in the club. However, his net worth is estimated to be around $40 million
making him one of the wealthiest African footballers
but he keeps his private life out of the public eye
Belinda Mendy is the wife of Chelsea’s goalkeeper and Senegal International
The couple has been together for many years
but they have chosen to keep their relationship private
Not much is known about Belinda’s personal life
as she prefers to stay out of the spotlight
Belinda and Edouard have a son together who was born in 2015
The couple is very supportive of each other
and they enjoy spending quality time together with their son
Edouard has mentioned in interviews that his wife is very supportive of his career
and he couldn’t have made it this far without her
Mendy’s height is one of his greatest assets as a goalkeeper
He also possesses sharp vision and agility
enabling him to stop long shots and a couple of deflections
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Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has returned to Chelsea after injuring his thigh while training with Senegal
His impressive and consistent performances for Les Rouges et Blancs resulted in him lifting the first silverware of his career
when Reims captured the Ligue 2 title in 2018 and conceded just 24 goals that term
Mendy moved on and joined Rennes ahead of the 2019/20 season
the 6ft 5in goalie kept 13 clean sheets and conceded just 31 goals in 33 games before the season was ended prematurely due to the coronavirus pandemic
He helped Rennes qualify for the Champions League for the first time last season
with the French club finishing third in Ligue 1
Mendy has European club competition experience under his belt already
having featured in four Europa League games last term
Mendy opted to represent Senegal – the country of birth of his mother – at international level and has eight caps for the West African country
His father is of Guinea-Bissau descent and Mendy did actually represent that country in a friendly match against Portugal in 2016
He declined an invitation to commit to playing for Guinea-Bissau at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations and later made his debut for Senegal in 2018
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