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The bust – made to hold part of the skull of Saint Aredius – is thought to have been sold off by the priest in 1905 and replaced by a copy, into which the relics were moved. It is brought out every seven years to be venerated.

However the council says it was already a listed historic monument and communal property.

New research suggests the 13th century piece in silver, gold and semi-precious stones (below) was sold to a Paris dealer who had a copy made. It was acquired by an American who gave it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In the context of the 1905 church/state separation law, it is thought some priests were persuaded to sell treasures, rather than see them in state ownership.