Czech Village Welcomes Back Madonna Statue Smuggled Out 81 Years Ago

In Pavlov Studenec, Czech Republic, residents will process with a statue of the Madonna that was secretly transported across the border in a baby carriage 81 years ago. During the final stages of World War II, Rudi Standfest’s mother rescued the statue from what she perceived as a deteriorating situation, hiding it under pillows in a pram and taking it to Bavaria.

The Standfest family safeguarded the statue until Rudi, fulfilling his wish for it to return to Pavlov Studenec, arranged for its donation to a museum. The procession is part of the Schaa-Feier festival, a revival of an 18th-century tradition where villagers petitioned for protection from storms.

The festival also commemorates the village’s turbulent history, including its near-total destruction during the Cold War and the repurposing of its church as a military observation post. Researchers will now investigate the statue’s age and origins.