Vatican employee is arrested after police allege he stole priceless Bernini manuscript from archives and tried to sell it

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A former Vatican employee has been arrested after police say he stole a 391-year-old manuscript from an archive, then tried to sell it. The man, identified by Italian media as Alfio Maria Daniele Pergolizzi, is accused of stealing a 17th-century manuscript by Gian Lorenzo Bernini that includes plans for the decorative gilded features of St. Peter’s Basilica. open image in gallery A former employee for the organization that maintains St Peter’s Basilica, pictured, was arrested after police say he stole a seventeenth-century manuscript The former Fabric employee then “sold” Gambietti the manuscript for $130,000 — but Vatican police swept in to arrest him after he left the meeting, according to The Art Newspaper. open image in gallery Gian Lorenzo Bernini, whose manuscript authorities say was stolen from the Vatican, crafted the statues pictured above displayed in St Peter’s Square This is not the first time a reported theft has rocked the Vatican.