Mystery of nuns' stolen treasure grips Spain

By Sinikka Tarvainen Mar 18, 2011, 2:06 GMT

Madrid - Who stole plastic bags containing hundreds of thousands of euros that Spanish nuns had hidden in a wardrobe of their convent?

It sounds like the subject of a detective novel, but the mystery gripping Spain is from real life.

The story began unfolding on February 28, when the Cistercian convent of Santa Lucia reported to police the theft of 1.5 million euros (2 million dollars) from its premises in the northern city of Zaragoza.

The next day, however, the nuns changed the figure, putting the sum that had been stolen at only 450,000 euros.

Even that amount, observers felt, was surprisingly high for nuns who had taken vows of poverty and appeared to lead extremely austere lives.

Most of Spain's 13,000 cloistered nuns just barely subsist on making sweets, embroidery or other similar work, and on donations made by the faithful.

The convent in Zaragoza said its 16 nuns had saved money they had earned by restoring old manuscripts, bookbinding, and by selling works by the 'Painting Nun.'

Sister Isabel Guerra, 63, is known for her 'transcendentally realistic' portraits which fetch prices of up to 50,000 euros on the art market.

Even Pope Benedict XVI owns a painting by Guerra, who specializes in portraying church and even worldly dignitaries.

'Many entrepreneurs and others come to me to get one of her paintings, handing me blank checks or as much cash as I ask for,' the chaplain of the convent said.

But why did the nuns not put their money in a bank, instead of hiding it in a wardrobe?

They were innocent to the point of being naive, living in 'another world' where they dedicated themselves to prayer, the nuns' lawyer Jesus Garcia said.

The nuns believe the money was stolen on a Sunday when the convent was open to outsiders attending mass there. The thief knew exactly where the money was, and skillfully broke through the doors leading to the hiding place.

That aroused suspicions that he may have been a repair man or a delivery man, whom the nuns had paid in cash and who had seen where they kept the money.

While police are trying to find the culprit, the fiscal authorities are investigating whether the nuns paid income tax on the stacks of 500-euro bills they stashed away into the wardrobe.

If it turns out they did not, they could face heavy fines and even prison sentences of up to five years.

In the meantime, no more outside visitors are being allowed to attend mass at the Santa Lucia convent for the time being.

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