Temporarily released without bail and without precautionary measures, but under police supervision in the investigation into allegations of illegal art sales. This is actually the final chapter of the TV series Former Bellorado Nunswhich was last Thursday … They saw how the Civil Guard arrested the former head of the monastery, Sister Isabel, after searching the monastery of the aforementioned town of Burgos in an operation initiated by Benmerita after discovering in the specialized market, on the Internet and in an antique shop, several historical pieces from the Burgos Monastery in Santa Maria de Pretorina, among them Figure of Saint Anthony of Padua from the 17th centuryIt has now been restored by the Civil Guard.
Once the former superior was arrested, the agents and the nun moved to the Orduña (Vizcaya) convent to continue the search. The result of the work done there was to determine the location of “A A large number of artworksThey “belong” to the Belorado Monastery, were supposedly transferred “without authorization” and were submitted for judicial disposition, Benmerita reported on Friday.
In addition, Sister Paloma of the Biscaya Monastery, who like her companion is considered responsible for crimes, was also arrested Aggravated embezzlementIt signed historical heritage assets, while an antiques dealer was arrested in Valderas (León) for an alleged reception crime.
The two dissident Bellorado nuns spent one night in the Burgos command cell until 1pm on Friday afternoon, and were taken to the Previesca courthouse in the face of a strong police and media presence.
Transfers from Burgos
For approximately two hours, the former president and Sister Paloma remained inside the judicial headquarters, where they arrived in a camouflaged car with completely blacked out windows, until the judge issued her ruling in a ceremony. Temporary release without bail Nor precautionary measures, with a commitment to be present before the court or agents if necessary.
At approximately three o’clock in the afternoon, they both left on foot, accompanied by their lawyers. At the court’s gates, the former president confirmed that her detention for more than sixteen hours and the night in the cell was a “very difficult” and “very difficult experience.” He even assured reporters that at first, between the “white walls,” he thought he would “feel some kind of anxiety.” “I have prayed more than I have ever prayed in my entire life.”He mentioned.
The thing that helped her in this situation was Sister Paloma’s “accompaniment.” Regarding their arrest in Belorado, he pointed out that they do not know “what is happening” and what the charges are against them, other than that the officers told them that. They “did something with heritage”. “We never expected to be arrested for something we weren’t clear about,” she said. It is a testimony in which Sister Paloma, who was detained in Orduña, agreed and described the experience as “exhausting.” He explained: “I felt cold, hungry and sleepy, but the place did not bother me much,” before thanking the Civil Guard for their “humane” treatment.
“What hurt us the most was what they tried to do again to the older sisters,” the former abbess said, referring to the transfer to another convent of the Poor Clares Monastery, which agents of the Biscaya Monastery nuns attempted a second time. Between 86 and 100 years old – To comply with a specific order of the Brevisca Court. Given these circumstances, Sister Isabel, the former administrator of Bellorado’s estate, rebuked the judge for “Zero humanity » For “exploiting” the operations and searches that took place this Thursday in the monasteries of Bellorado and Orduña on the works of art to launch “that torpedo” of transporting the older nuns to… “Late hours of the night”.
For his part, the nuns’ lawyer, Javier Garcia de Visma, explained that the procedure dictated by the court official was what they expected because, in his opinion, “There were no reasons” To keep the nuns detained. Regarding the alleged sale of Bellorado Montasterio’s artistic heritage by the nuns, he noted that they had never considered that they were doing something “illegal”, which in his opinion is demonstrated by the advertising of part of the pieces on the buying and selling portal.
The same argument was made by Sister Sion, one of the dissident nuns in Bellorado who had come to support her comrades and who was “extremely surprised” by everything that had happened. He stressed, “We do not know what they mean by artistic and historical heritage,” noting later that “there are many antiques in the monasteries, and sometimes they call antique dealers stakeholders.”
“Perfectly legal”
For this reason, he considered what they did “completely legal,” with what he called “their action.” “Private property” And it is not “the artistic heritage that should remain in the monastery.” According to his statements, all that happened were transactions that occurred in 2023, that is, the moment before the schism in which the Bellorado nuns left the church, and for which the former abbess was “legally responsible.” Moreover, they emphasized that it was a decision they all made “in class.”
Sister Sion and the seven other former members of the Burgos convent – including the two arrested – were summoned on Friday before their arrest in the same court to testify about the Archbishop of Burgos’ complaint about the use of the convent’s vehicles, one of which the nuns donated to the convent. Dana is impressed. These statements could not be made in response to the request for the judge’s disqualification “due to apparent hostility” submitted by the nuns’ lawyer.