The Mossos d'Esquadra police are investigating a burglary that took place this weekend at the historic Poblet Monastery in the south of Catalonia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is both a celebrated medieval architectural complex and an important Catalan historical archive. This morning the archivist in charge of the Montserrat Tarradellas i Macià Archives (AMTM) called the police to inform them that when she arrived she found the safe open. For now, according to the Archive itself, nothing of historical value or significant documentation owned by former Catalan president Josep Tarradellas seems to have been taken.
Although the break-in has been confirmed, along with the possibility that the burglars were looking for specific documentation held in this important historical resource, they left empty-handed, sources from the Poblet monastery explained to ElNacional.cat.
After police were called, a Mossos d'Esquadra patrol confirmed that the safe had been opened by violent means and subsequently investigative police units arrived to investigate the incident. During the morning, forensic police made a visual inspection of the safe that the thieves opened and of the various spaces which give access to the offices of the Tarradellas Archive, as sources within the investigation explained to this newspaper. The Archive is in a separate building beside the historic religious centre,
Sometime during the weekend
The events were recorded between Friday - the last time someone was in this area of the monastery - and this Monday morning. The person in charge of the archive was also asked to provide an inventory of documents kept in the safe but not removed, to search for clues as to what could have happened and who could be behind this burglary that, for now, seems not to have been consummated.
Meanwhile, the Mossos d'Esquadra are awaiting the completion of the Tarradellas Archive's check of its inventory and formal complaint to confirm that nothing was taken, although it has already been established that thieves gained access to the Archive's office area. For now, the investigation is open over a crime of aggravated robbery, given that they were able to gain access to the premises and contents of the safe, but did not take anything of value. The material stored in this archive is of great historical value, and its theft could also be considered a crime against national historical heritage.
Documentation of war, exile and the Generalitat
The Poblet Monastery, founded in the year 1151, is one of the largest and most complete Cistercian abbeys in the world, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since 1981, the monastery has been home to the archive of Catalan president Josep Tarradellas, who was a minister in the Catalan government in the 1930s and Catalan president in exile for 23 years before becoming the first president of post-Franco Catalonia in 1977. His archive contains important documentation related to the Civil War, the long exile during the Franco dictatorship and the re-establishment of the Catalan government institution, the Generalitat de Catalunya. Much of this documentation is public although kept in a private archive. Sources from the Archive have stated that they will issue a statement giving further details of the robbery suffered during the weekend. The Mossos police have confirmed that they have opened an investigation to clarify the matter.