A sculpture depicting the Virgin Mary giving birth to Jesus has been destroyed just days after it went on view at a cathedral in northern Austria and drew criticism from some Catholics, who condemned it as sacrilegious.

       The Catholic diocese of Linz said in a statement that the Virgin Mary’s head was sawed off early Monday morning in an act of vandalism. The work, titled “Crowning” by Austrian artist Esther Strauss, is no longer on view, and the incident has been reported to the police, the diocese said.