About half a million euros has been stolen from nuns who had hidden the money in a wardrobe at the Santa Lucía convent, according to a statement from police in Zaragoza today.

The money, which consisted mainly of 500-euro bills and was the fruit of years of restoration work on old manuscripts and books, had been packed into plastic bags.

The door into the room had been forced open, but the nuns told police they had no idea who the culprit could be.

Local residents were surprised to hear that the nuns, who were known for their austere lifestyle, had so much money.

"They were probably not aware of how imprudent it was to keep that amount at the convent, nor of the damage that it does to the image of the church," sources close to the Zaragoza archbishop's office were quoted as saying.