The Vatican has announced that it was sent a £72,000 ransom demand for two letters written by Renaissance master Michelangelo who painted the Sistine Chapel . Spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said a cardinal in charge of St Peter 's Basilica , which Michelangelo also helped to design , had been offered the documents for ' a certain price ' . Rome newspaper Il Messaggero said the person , described as a former Vatican employee , had asked for 100,000 euros ( £72,000 ) . The Vatican said a cardinal was sent a ransom demand asking for £72,000 to return two letters by Renaissance master Michelangelo ( pictured , St Peter 's Basilica , which the artist helped to design ) This is the first time the Vatican has acknowledged the theft of the two letters , one of which supposedly contains Michelangelo 's signature . Lombardi said the cardinal 'naturally refused because these are stolen documents ' . He added that a nun who worked in the Vatican archives informed officials back in 1997 that the documents had gone missing , but he did not say why the Vatican had not disclosed the theft before . While the newspaper spoke of only one letter signed by Michelangelo , who lived from 1475 to 1564 , the spokesman said two documents had gone missing . He added that Vatican police were now investigating the case with their Italian counterparts . No further details have been given about either of the documents , which were taken from the archives of the Fabbrica di San Pietro which looks after the upkeep of the basilica . The demand is believed to have come from a former Vatican employee . Until a spokesman confirmed the threat , it was not known that the documents had been taken back in 1997 . However , The Times reports the signed letter is believed to discuss art commissioned by the Pope . The archives contain numerous documents concerning the history , design and construction of vast holy site . The basilica took more than 100 years to build and was completed in 1626 . Michelangelo took over the construction of the basilica in January 1547 , while in his seventies , after the death of Pope Paul III 's preferred candidate , Giulio Romano . Drawing on the complex plans laid down by a chain of architects before him , Michelangelo brought them together into a workable model , and is responsible for much of the basilica as it stands today .
Times says it was sent demand by man believed to be a former employee . Nun reported that the letters , one of them signed , were missing in 1997 . But until yesterday the public knew nothing about the letters being taken .