RAW VIDEO: US Returns Stolen 16th Century Tapestry to Spain
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- April 18, 2013
US authorities have returned to Spain a 16th-century tapestry that was stolen in 1979 from the San Vicente Martir Cathedral in the northeastern village of Roda de Isabena. "This is a happy ending after 34 years," said the general director of cultural assets at the Education, Culture and Sports Ministry, Jesus Prieto de Pedro, at a ceremony held Wednesday at the residence of Spain's ambassador to Washington, Ramon Gil-Casares. The "De la Virgen y San Vicente" tapestry will be transported to Spain on a commercial flight in a security container guarded by the Civil Guard. The personal delivery of the tapestry by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement director John Morton marks the conclusion of a journey that began one night in 1979 when an art thief stole several valuable works of art from the cathedral. The tapestry was shipped illegally to Belgium and later auctioned in Munich, where it was acquired by an Italian citizen who took it to Italy and kept it off the market for a
