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The Caravaggio Heist | Secrets of the Dead

PBS
/
PBS

Wed Jan. 11 at 10PM on WKAR-HD 23.1 & STREAMING | Father Marius Zerafa, director of museums in Malta, risks his life to recover a Caravaggio masterpiece stolen from a cathedral in 1984.

In 1984, a Maltese national treasure went missing from the cathedral of St. John in Valletta – a masterpiece by the legendary Italian master  Caravaggio. Two years of investigations across Europe led to nothing, but a strong-willed priest never gave up. Father Marius Zerafa, director of museums in Malta, managed to establish a channel of communication with the thieves and set off on a quest to recover the priceless painting. Despite not having the money to pay their ransom, he risked everything, putting his life on the line for the sake of a masterpiece.

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