Trial over theft of Codex Calixtinus begins in Spain
|
Version 0 of 1. A former electrician appeared in a court in Spain on Monday accused of stealing one of the country’s most important cultural treasures – a 12th-century manuscript described as Europe’s first travel guide. In what was dubbed the theft of the century by Spanish media, José Manuel Fernández Castiñeiras, prosecutors say, took the Codex Calixtinus from the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain in July 2011. The 225-document includes travel advice for those following the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage that attracts hundreds of thousands each year, as well as sermons and homilies to Saint James. After hours of frantic searching turned up nothing, staff at the cathedral contacted police. The cathedral had five security cameras overseeing the archives area, but not one of them was directed at the safe where the medieval manuscript was kept. Facing mounting criticism about lax security, staff insisted the theft had been an inside job. The dean of the cathedral, José María Díaz, told reporters: “Whoever took it knew what it was, knew its incalculable value and knew how to get to it, or at least find out to how get to it.” His remarks were backed by reports that the keys to the safe had still been dangling from the lock when staff noticed the codex missing. A year later, it was found in the garage of the cathedral’s former electrician. The discovery put an end to speculation in Spanish media that the theft had been commissioned by an international art collector and that the illustrated manuscript had been smuggled out of the country. The codex was found “in good condition”, according to Spain’s interior ministry. Police said they also found more than a €1m in the garage and other ancient books missing from the cathedral’s archives. Castiñeiras had worked at the cathedral for more than 25 years before being made redundant in 2011. At the time of the codex theft, he had been suing cathedral authorities for wrongful dismissal. He now faces charges of theft and money laundering, with prosecutors calling for a 15-year jail term and a €300,000 fine. More than 60 witnesses, including senior clergy from the cathedral, are expected to be called during the trial. On Monday, Castiñeiras’s lawyer, Carmen Ventoso, asked that the evidence gathered so far in the case be thrown out – including a confession by the former electrician and a video, recorded by cathedral’s security camera, allegedly showing him cramming stacks of cash into his pockets. The case against Castiñeiras, she said, was full of “mistakes” and left him the victim of a “Guantánamo-like process.” |