FRANCE'S "Excalibur" sword has mysteriously vanished after being wedged into rock for 1,300 years.
Police are probing the suspected theft of the legendary weapon which was plunged into stone 32ft above the ground.
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The French version of King Arthur's "Excalibur" has been the main attraction of a tiny medieval village of Rocamadour.
The so-called Durandal is referenced in The Song of Roland, a poem from the eleventh century.
The epic tail describes the magical properties of the sword and claims that it held the tooth of St Peter, the blood of St Basil, and the hair of St Denis.
According to the local folklore, the sword belonged to Roland, a legendary knight who fought for Charlemagne in the eight century.
The weapon was believed to be indestructible and capable of cutting through giant boulders of stone with a single blow.
As the legend has it, the Durandal was handed to Charlemagne by an angel before it came to be owned by Roland.
Before his heroic death, Roland tried to shatter the blade on the rocks to prevent his enemies from obtaining it - but failed.
He then tossed the sword in the air, sending it flying hundreds of miles before it landed in the cliff at Rocamadour.
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The inexplicable disappearance of the sword has baffled the locals as the thief would have to climb 32ft up the rugged rock surface to retrieve it.
The residents of Rocamadour have been left devastated after learning that the beloved relic has gone missing.
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The Durandal was so cherished in the local community that a town councillor personally accompanied it on its trip to the Cluny museum for a temporary exhibit in 2011.
Local mayor Dominique Lenfant told La Dépêche: “We’re going to miss Durandal. It’s been part of Rocamadour for centuries, and there’s not a guide who doesn’t point it out when he visits.
“Rocamadour feels it’s been robbed of a part of itself, but even if it’s a legend, the destinies of our village and this sword are entwined.”
Authorities have launched an investigation into the alleged theft.
Legend of Excalibur
EXCALIBUR is a mythical sword which belonged to King Arthur and was said to possess magical powers.
The legend says that little Arthur was able to draw the sword out of a stone in which it had been magically stuck.
The most popular tail tells a story of magician Merlin who challenged nobles to pull out the sword from the rock to prove their claim to the throne.
The 15th century prose Le Morte d'Arthur stated: "whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil, is rightwise king born of all England".
After many gathered nobles failed, Arthur, who went there as a squire to his foster brother, Kay, tries his luck and succeeds effortlessly.
The act proved Arthur to be "the true king" and gave him the right to the British throne.
Merlin then announces Arthur to be a divinely appointed king and reveals his true parentage.
The mysterious robbery comes amid a chilling warning to Brits to stay vigilant as crooks roam the streets of France.
On Sunday, at least one person was killed and five injured after a Kalashnikov-wielding gang opened fire on a wedding ceremony in Thionville, Lorraine.
In Paris, a British woman was sexually assaulted by a gang of hooded men at the Fête de la Musique festival.
It follows similar attacks at the event in the French capital – one that has become notorious with violent crime and a lack of policing.
Authorities in Paris have also vowed to crackdown on crime ahead of the Olympics which will kick off in just a few weeks.
Police said they would clean up the tourist area of the capital before thousands descend for the beloved games.
But the biggest sporting event could be overshadowed by a political upheaval as France may be heading towards the far-right rule.
After Marine Le Pen's National Rally scooped the first round of elections, hundreds of left-wing protesters took to the streets of Paris.
The results led to a deluge of demonstrators clashing with cops as dramatic pictures showed fires raging and shop windows smashed.
Read more on the Irish Sun
Dozens of protesters also scaled the Place de la Republique as police and firefighters attempted to quell tensions.
Cops unleashed tear gas while firefighters tried to put out blazes.
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