On 21 May 1972,

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...

's ''

Pietà The Pietà (; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Mary (mother of Jesus), Blessed Virgin Mary cradling the mortal body of Jesus Christ after his Descent from the Cross. It is most often found in sculpture. ...

'' statue in

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initiall ...

, Vatican City, was attacked by Laszlo Toth, a Hungarian geologist who believed he was Jesus Christ. With fifteen blows, he removed Mary's arm at the elbow, knocked off a chunk of her nose, and chipped one of her eyelids. He was subdued by bystanders, including American sculptor Bob Cassilly, who struck Toth several times before pulling him away from the statue.

Aftermath

After some debate, it was decided to perform as close to an "invisible" restoration as possible. Restorers took five months to identify over 100 fragments and reattached them using glue along with powder from

Carrara marble Carrara marble, or Luna marble (''marmor lunense'') to the Romans, is a type of white or blue-grey marble popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It has been quarried since Roman times in the mountains just outside the city of Carrara ...

(discovering in the process a hitherto unknown initial M carved on Mary's palm by the sculptor). The restored statue went back on display ten months after the attack, now separated from the public by a pane of bullet-proof glass.

Laszlo Toth

Toth () was born on 1 July 1938 in

Pilisvörösvár Pilisvörösvár ( or ) is a town in Pest County, Hungary. Notable people *Károly Erős, football player *Laszlo Toth, Hungarian-Australian geologist & vandal *Solomon Breuer, German rabbi Twin towns – sister cities Pilisvörösvár is Siste ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

to a Catholic family. After graduating with a degree in geology, he moved to Australia in 1965. As his English was poor and his geology diploma was not recognised, he initially worked at a soap factory. In June 1971, he moved to Rome, Italy, knowing no Italian, intending to become recognised as Christ. He sent letters to

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

and unsuccessfully attempted to meet him. At 33 years of age (the traditional age of Jesus at his death) on the Feast of

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...

, Toth, wielding a

geologist's hammer A geologist's hammer, also known as rock hammer, rock pick, geological pick, or geo pick, is a specialized hammer used for splitting and breaking rocks. In field geology, it is employed to expose fresh rock surfaces, as weathered surfaces may ...

and shouting "I am Jesus Christ—risen from the dead", attacked the statue. Following his arrest, Toth repeated his claim that he was Christ and said that God had compelled him to destroy the statue because Christ, being eternal, could not have a mother. Toth was deported back to Australia, where psychiatrists did not consider him dangerous, and has not been heard of since. He was not charged with a criminal offence after the incident.

Toth in literature and popular culture

* Toth is the eponymous inspiration for books of letters by

Don Novello Don Novello (born January 1, 1943) is an American comedian, actor, writer, singer, film director and producer. He appeared on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' as the character Father Guido Sarducci from 1978 to 1980 and 1985 to 1986. He appeared ...

. * Comic book artist

Steve Ditko Stephen John Ditko. Page contains two reproductions from school yearbooks. A 1943 Garfield Junior High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen Ditko". A 1945 Johnstown High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen J. Ditko" under extracurricular ac ...

used Toth's actions as the central metaphor in his 1992 examination of issues concerning creation and destruction, ''Lazlo's Hammer'' (corrected to "Laszlo's Hammer" in subsequent reprints and revisions).Lazlo's Hammer
Ditko-fever.com. Retrieved on 17 April 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pietà Art crime Vandalism

Aftermath

Laszlo Toth

Toth in literature and popular culture

See also

References