Officials find no lapse in security following disappearance of Calixtinus Codex

Santiago de Compostela, Spain, Jul 11, 2011 / 12:01 pm

Officials in Spain “have not found any anomalies” in the security at the Cathedral of Santiago after the Calixtinus Codex was stolen July 5.

Sources from the Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela said security measures were working “normally,” reported Europa Press.

The sources also confirmed statements made by the dean of the cathedral, Jose Maria Diaz, that there was no sign of forced entry into the room where the codex is typically kept. However, it is not known whether the key was left in the safe that held the historic document.

Police are reviewing security videos but they have not said whether the cameras captured the moment in which the codex went missing.

The sources consulted by Europa Press also said that officials are reviewing how the cathedral handles security at its archives, as artifacts are not kept in individual lock boxes except when brought out on display.

The Calixtinus Codex has been kept at the cathedral since the 12th century and has only been taken out on two occasions, once in 1975 and again in 1993.

One of the two archivists at the cathedral noticed the codex was missing late on the afternoon on July 5. After calling the dean of the cathedral, they both carried out an extensive search for the document.

Unable to locate it, they notified police at 10 p.m. that night.

Police searched for evidence and interviewed the two archivists of the cathedral.