The National Police has recovered a musical manuscript stolen from the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial. The recovered piece is a sheet of parchment with inscriptions in Gothic script and musical notes dated to the 16th century and which was allegedly stolen by a group of former students from the Real Centro Universitario María Cristina. The hymnal is part of the collection of 221 choral books that Philip II ordered to be made for the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial.
The investigations began when the agents received notification of the theft, at the end of the 80s and by former students of the Royal University Center María Cristina, of several pages of a hymn that was in the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial .
Thanks to several efforts, it was possible to Whatsapp Database identify the person in Murcia who had one of the stolen sheets in his possession . The agents traveled to the town to recover the stolen property and deposit it in police stations and, later, deliver it to the Escorial Monastery.
After carrying out the appropriate checks, it was found that the recovered manuscript corresponded to folio 8 of Cantoral 140. This cantoral is made up of 58 paginated and three unpaginated sheets that contain the Veni Creator in the profession of a novice. In addition, it is part of the collection of 221 choral books that Philip II ordered to be made for the Royal Monastery and which was made by different book writers, miniaturists and bookbinders of the time.
Finally, the 16th century hymn sheet from the Choir of the Basilica of the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial has been returned to the director of the Monastery Library.
Four paintings stolen in Palma located in Belgium
Image of one of the recovered paintings. (Image: National Police)
It has not been the only operation related to heritage that has been developed in recent days. In an operation that has had the collaboration of the Interior Attaché in Belgium and the Inspection of the Belgian Ministry of Economy, the police have recovered four oil paintings stolen in Spain in that country . These are four of the seven works, valued at 31,000 euros , - by the artists José Cheetham, Marc Badia, Dimitros Tade and Fabio Finamore - that an individual had exhibited in a gallery in Palma (Mallorca) and that were subject to misappropriation by various subjects.
The Spanish investigators identified those allegedly responsible for the events and, through the Interior Attaché in Belgium, in collaboration with the Inspection of the Ministry of Economy of said country, they were finally able to be located in Belgian territory.
Thanks to the quick action of all the units involved in the investigation, the location where the works were hidden was found, so an entry and search was carried out that resulted in the immediate intervention of four of the seven works reported . The alleged perpetrators were denounced, as well as the company through which they acted, located in Brussels. The Belgian Prosecutor's Office has ordered the delivery of the oil paintings to their owner.