The Theft of the Codex

On the morning of 5 July 2011, news broke that the Codex Calixtinus had vanished from the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. A 12th-century manuscript regarded as the first guide for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago, it was among the most significant and irreplaceable objects in Spain's cultural heritage.

There were no forced entry points and no fingerprints. The Historical Heritage Brigade of Madrid arrived in Santiago with little to work from. Early theories ranged from a commissioned theft for international sale to Islamic terrorism. None held up.

What followed was an investigation as strange as the crime itself, complicated by intense media scrutiny, the cathedral's institutional secrecy, and a procession of false accusations. The eventual suspect was not a sophisticated art thief but Manuel Fernández Castiñeiras, the cathedral's own electrician of 25 years.

Directed by Elena Molina and produced with exclusive access to security footage, wiretaps, and judicial interrogations, the series reconstructs the case through interviews with investigators, magistrates, journalists, and members of the Castiñeiras family. When the Codex was finally recovered, it was not alone. Over two million euros in cash and diaries full of cathedral gossip were found alongside it, raising questions that extended far beyond the theft itself.