Remember that time the Codex Calixtinus was stolen from the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela? Well, justice caught up with the thief and the trial is due to begin tomorrow, January 19th.

José Manuel Fernández Castiñeiras, a former contract electrician for the Cathedral de Santiago, allegedly lifted the priceless medieval manuscript from the armored vault of the Cathedral in July 2011. According to the Huffington Post, Castiñeiras might have been motivated by bitter revenge; he was fired for forging a work contract after 25 years of service, and felt that the Cathedral owed him a substantial amount in damages. Apparently, historically significant manuscripts were an acceptable substitute. In 2012, Spanish authorities recovered the Codex, wrapped in a plastic bag in Castiñeiras’s garage. No word on whether the manuscript suffered any damage during the ordeal.

Unfortunately, Castiñeiras didn’t just limit himself to taking the Codex and a handful of other manuscripts. He is also charged with stealing millions of euros from the Cathedral between 2000 and 2011, money laundering (as you might expect), and violating the privacy of the Cathedral’s clergy. Nope, we’re not entirely sure what that means either. In any case, it’s shaping up to be a rough couple of months for José. If found guilty, he could be looking at 15 years of prison time, a €300,000 fine, and the return of the stolen items. Plus, his wife and son might be joining him in prison. This is on top of another lawsuit (trial scheduled for February), charging Castiñeiras with repeated attemps to steal his neighbors’ mail. The prosecution is seeking a sentence of 243 years in prison and a €2.2 million fine for violating the victims’ privacy. Overkill, you say? The takeaway: Spain takes privacy VERY seriously.

Shout out to The Art Newspaper for reporting the story. You can check out the full article here.

Share This: