Spanish police recover lost Codex Calixtinus manuscript

A priceless 12th-century manuscript stolen from a church last year was recovered yesterday.

The richly illustrated Codex Calixtinus was found by police in a lock-up garage near the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, from which it was taken. The collection of sermons and liturgical passages vanished from a safe deposit box in the church, which is the endpoint of the ancient Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route.

The discovery came after police arrested their key suspect – a man who was sacked after working at the cathedral as a caretaker, electrician and odd-job man for more than 25 years – on Tuesday. His wife and son and another woman were also detained.

Police recovered €1.2m (£965,000), eight copies of the Codex and other ancient books from the cathedral in searches of garages, houses and store rooms linked to those arrested.