Watan-In a whimsical and unique story, a French thief returned a golden rooster sculpture he had stolen from a French village a quarter of a century ago, thereby revealing the secret of its mysterious disappearance.

The small golden rooster was stolen in April 1999 from the top of an external Catholic cross in the village of Bezan, which had a population of 5,500 people and is situated between the cities of Beziers and Agde in southwestern France.

According to the French newspaper “France3,” the story began in early April 1999 when the “Cross Missionary Rooster” mysteriously disappeared near Agde in Herault. There were no updates on the golden bird since then.

The mystery persisted until November 2023 when it reappeared mysteriously. It was anonymously sent through the mail to a local historian living in the same city.

The Golden Rooster and the Surprise of the Mail

The newspaper reported that “Michel Sabatier,” an 81-year-old historian, received a surprising package at the end of last November containing a golden rooster. This rooster was originally located in Clermont-Ferrand, above the passage of the Bisan mission, eight meters high until April 1, 1999, when it was stolen.

A Golden Rooster Sculpture Stolen from a French Village a Quarter Century Ago

The unexpected return of the rooster quickly turned into an investigation to find out what had happened and why it returned to Bisan after 25 years of being stolen.

The Thief Revealed and Exciting Details

The city council of “Bisan,” the public prosecutor’s office in “Beziers,” and the “Florac” gendarmerie took action swiftly, identifying the thief, likely because he used his credit card to pay for the mail packages, as stated by the mayor of Bisan, “Stéphane Biban Bonie,” to the French media.

The public prosecutor in Beziers, “Raphael Balland,” mentioned that the thief confessed when confronte                                                                                                                                                                    d by the police, admitting that he took the small rooster during a night of revelry involving alcohol consumption.

He confessed to committing the theft for pleasure during a celebratory evening while under the influence of alcohol. Afterward, he dared not return the stolen golden rooster, which he had hidden in his house’s cellar, fearing legal consequences.

Since the thief cannot be criminally prosecuted due to the statute of limitations on public lawsuits (six years for theft), the public prosecutor’s office in Beziers decided to reject legal proceedings.

The mayor of Bisan, Stéphane Biban Bonie, expressed willingness to forgive what he considered “perhaps youthful recklessness.” However, he stated that pieces like this small rooster are part of the village’s heritage, perhaps not of great value but owned by everyone.

The Happy Ending

According to the source, Michel Sabatier, the elected representative for culture in the city in the 1980s, did not forget the stolen golden rooster. He fought for 25 years to keep his story alive but never expected such a happy ending.

The elderly historian said, “I tried hard, never stopped writing articles, and never lost hope of finding it. I wished to make the thief or the current owner guilty, and I was convinced that someone would recognize this rooster if they saw it.

The town of Bisan plans to return the stolen golden rooster to the top of the iron cross after renovating the memorial. Even if another rooster has replaced it since its forced disappearance in 1999.