A STATUE has been badly damaged in one of the worst acts of religious vandalism recorded at Exeter Cathedral.

A weathered statue of the patron saint of Slavs, St Methodius, which has stood for nearly 100 years at the Cathedral's North Tower entrance, was all but destroyed in the attack.

The sandstone statue was broken off at the legs and its head was removed.

Initial reports suggest that it was not a random or drunken attack as a rope is thought to have been used to pull the statue down. No other statues were damaged.

A Devon & Cornwall police spokesman said it appeared St Methodius' head had been broken off and the statue had been pulled from its mounting.

Whoever carried out the attack would have had to climb some six to 10 feet to reach the alcove in which the statue stood.

The remains of the statue — the original work of Exeter's venerated ecclesiastical architect Herbert Reid — were taken away by the fire service and are currently being assessed by stonemasons at the cathedral for possible repair work.

Dr Jeffrey Coates, vice chairman of the Friends of Exeter Cathedral, said: "It has the sound of being pre-planned.

"As Friends, we have contributed to the protection of the cathedral windows but this is absolutely disgraceful.

"I just cannot understand the mentality of someone who would do such a terrible thing to a building that is there for the enjoyment of all."

Hazel Harvey, vice chairwoman of Exeter Civic Society, said: "This is absolutely disgraceful and I hope those responsible are caught.

"We do get some problem with squatters in old and listed buildings in Exeter but nothing as bad as this deliberate vandalism to a cathedral."

Paul Snell, the cathedral's administrator, was unavailable for comment. The attack happened overnight between August 1 and 2 and was reported to the police by the Verger David Edwards at 8am on August 2.

The six-feet tall statue was a gift to the Cathedral from its Archdeacon, the Rev Frederick Arthur Sanders, who saw two Exeter sons go off to fight in the Great War of 1914-18.

Both young men survived the carnage and in grateful thanks, their father asked to be allowed to build the statue.

The Dean and Chapter approved the gift in 1919 and in April 1920, the statue was put in place, where it has stood — until now.

It is the most recent and by far the most serious act of vandalism at the cathedral.

In March last year, yobs who threw cobbles at a stained glass window caused £3,000 of damage.

The large stones, which had been ripped out of the ground near the cathedral's cloisters, smashed panes of glass and broke sections of the lead, causing other panes to shatter on the south aisle of the cathedral, close to the west end.

The latest act of vandalism will come as a blow to the Exeter Cathedral Third Millennium Campaign, which is working flat out to raise £3m to support work to the fabric of the cathedral.

Saint Methodius studied at Constantinople University and taught philosophy there. He was sent with his brother Cyril, also to become a saint, to convert the Jewish Khazars of Russia.

Their mission was successful, and allowed Methodius to learn the Khazar's language.

He helped develop an alphabet for the Slavonic language that eventually became what is known as Cyrillic today. He also translated the Bible into the Slavonic languages.

If you know anything about the attack, call Crimestoppers on 0800 55111.