France's culture minister Rachida Dati reported a robbery at the Louvre in Paris. The museum said it was closing for the day for "exceptional reasons".
The Louvre is the world's most visited museum and houses many famous artworks and other valuable items.
The minister wrote on X that the robbery happened on Sunday morning and that there were no reports of injuries. An investigation has been launched.
"No injuries reported. I'm on site with museum staff and police," she added.
Paris police said one or more criminals had broken into the museum, but did not provide any details about the possible theft of artworks, according to AFP.
According to French daily, Le Parisien, the criminals entered the sprawling building from the facade facing the Seine River, where construction work is underway.
They “used a freight elevator to gain direct access to the targeted room in the Apollo Gallery.” After breaking windows, they reportedly stole "nine pieces from the jewellery collection of Napoleon and the Empress", said Le Parisien.
The Louvre has a long history of thefts and attempted robberies. The most famous was in 1911, when the Mona Lisa vanished from its frame, stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, a former worker who hid inside the museum and walked out with the painting under his coat. It was recovered two years later in Florence — an episode that helped make Leonardo da Vinci's portrait the world's best-known artwork.
In 1983, two Renaissance-era pieces of armour were stolen from the Louvre and only recovered nearly four decades later. The museum's collection also bears the legacy of Napoleonic-era looting that continues to spark restitution debates today.
The Louvre is home to more than 33,000 works spanning antiquities, sculpture and painting — from Mesopotamia, Egypt and the classical world to European masters. Its star attractions include the Mona Lisa, as well as the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace.
The Galerie d'Apollon, where Sunday's theft reportedly took place, displays a selection of the French Crown Jewels.
The museum can draw up to 30,000 visitors a day.