The Louvre, home to the Mona Lisa and other iconic works of art in Paris, closed abruptly Monday as the museum's staff staged an impromptu strike over large crowds of tourists and understaffing.

The Louvre, the world's most-visited museum and a global symbol of art, beauty and endurance, was shuttered on Monday — not by war, not by terror, but by its own exhausted staff, who say the institution is crumbling from within.

The Louvre Museum in Paris delayed its opening on Monday, leaving thousands of visitors stranded in long lines outside the iconic glass pyramid.