PARIS — The premier art museum in the world remained closed on Monday as investigators continue to search for brazen thieves who broke into the Louvre and stole priceless, historic jewels. The loss from the crime is being likened to the devastating fire at Notre Dame.

A manhunt is underway to find the four thieves before the jewels - which once belonged to French royals - are broken up.

The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum, abruptly closed on Sunday following a break-in at its Apollo Gallery—the home of France’s crown jewels—in a bold daylight robbery that saw priceless Napoleonic treasures stolen.

Authorities were racing Monday to reassure the public about security at key cultural sites — and find the jewels stolen from the museum before they can be broken up and melted down.

The Louvre in Paris has been closed today after a group of masked men broke in and fled on scooters with nine pieces of jewellery worth millions.The robbery reportedly took place shortly after opening time this morning,

One of the most infamous heists in the cultural institution’s history was the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa—when Pablo Picasso numbered among the suspects.

Never say never. The Mona Lisa (1503), undoubtedly the main attraction at the Louvre, was stolen in 1911 and recovered two years later. The thief, Vincenzo Peruggia, was an Italian handyman working at the Louvre and was caught trying to sell it.

Thieves executed a rapid, audacious art heist at the Louvre, shocking authorities and art enthusiasts worldwide.