12th-Century Spanish Cathedral Statue Vandalized To Look Like KISS Drummer

Police are currently searching for the culprit who vandalized Spain’s Santiago de Compostela Cathedral. The vandal used a marker to make one of the cathedral’s statues look like current KISS drummer Eric Singer. Authorities say the 12th-century marble statue will now have to be cleaned with lasers and the vandal is now facing a fine of $172,000 over what officials are calling a “cultural atrocity”.

According to The Daily Mail, the statue was vandalized sometime during the early hours on Monday. Police are currently analyzing the CCTV footage to find the culprit. The statue was defaced and drawn on with a blue marker to represent Singer’s infamous “Catman” face makeup that the drummer wears in the band. The word “KISS” was also written on the statue.

“Santiago Cathedral is a World Heritage site. It belongs to us all,” tweeted authorities. “As well as demonstrating a total lack of respect and civism, this vandalism is also a crime. Help us to find the person or people responsible.”

Daniel Lorenzo, director of the Cathedral Foundation, stated that the statue would have to be cleaned with lasers to avoid any damage due to its age and condition. The vandalized statue is the only Romanesque sculpture left on the cathedral which overlooks Platerias square.

The Santiago de Compostela Cathedral is the reputed burial place of Saint James the Great, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ.

The hard rock band KISS performed in Spain last month at the Resurrection Fest which took place in Viveiro in Lugo, a town not too far from the cathedral. The band has only performed five shows this year, all in July, with several dates in Spain and one in Portugal.

Eric Singer is the current drummer for the band KISS. Singer was brought in to replace former drummer Eric Carr who passed away in 1991. The original “Catman” makeup was worn by the band’s original drummer Peter Criss. The current lineup of KISS comprises of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Eric Singer, and Tommy Thayer.

The band is currently slated to sail the high seas this Halloween for their eighth annual Kiss Kruize. The sold out, five-day trip will feature the band performing sets filled with some of their biggest hits in addition to some rarities in a stripped-down setting.

The show will also feature performances from several KISS alumni, most notably, former and founding guitarist Ace Frehley. Former guitarist Bruce Kulick, who played with the band from 1984 to 1996, is also slated to perform with the band.