Zapotlán del Rey, Jalisco, Mexico - A more than 150-year-old painting of the Virgin of Guadalupe has been returned to the church from which it was stolen in 2010, the Attorney General's Office recently reported.

"According to research, days after the piece of sacred art was stolen from La Parroquia de la Santísima Trinidad (the Church of the Holy Trinity) it appeared in the abandoned temple of San Juan Bosco, which is located in the same municipality - Zapotlán del Rey, Jalisco," the institution said in a statement.

After the 0.95 meter wide by 1.40 meter long painting was recovered, it was sent to the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) for restoration. Apparently, when stealing the canvas, the thieves cut about 12 centimeters off the bottom of the canvas, damaging a Latin inscription.

After it had been restored, personnel from the Office of Specialized Investigation of Federal Crimes (SIDF) and INAH presented the 150-year-old canvas to the priest of La Parroquia de la Santísima Trinidad, Father Raymundo Gómez Gaspar, who signed a custodial agreement on behalf of the Holy Trinity Parish.