AN electrician working at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela has been arrested on suspicion of stealing an invaluable ancient document.

The Calixtine Code – a 12th-century pilgrims' guide – was found in his garage wrapped in plastic, along with various other artefacts from the famous temple, such as coins.

His wife and son have also been taken into custody for possible aiding and abetting.

The electrician was 'let go' when the Ecclesiastical authorities were forced to legalise all their workers, providing proper job contracts and paying tax and Social Security.

Police say the suspect 'does not seem willing to cooperate' in their inquiries into the theft of the 40,000-euro document.

He claims the Church authorities owe him at least this amount of money in unpaid fees for his work at the Cathedral.

The manuscript disappeared a year ago today and the Cathedral Museum's director, Ramón Yzquierdo, had said all along he believed it was an inside job.

It also cost the Dean of the Cathedral, José María Díaz, his job.

Díaz, who declined to comment on the recent turn of events on the grounds of 'higher orders' and because it 'wouldn't do his health any good' was the Cathedral archive manager at the time of the theft.

Poor security measures at the vault from which the manuscript was stolen, and reports in various media about how the keys many have been left in the lock, forced Díaz to resign – a decision that was accepted by the Archbishop Julián Barrio.

Police searched a number of houses belonging to the same family in the provinces of A Coruña and Pontevedra.

A dedicated team of 12 specialist officers have been working on the case for a year, and have long believed it to have involved a desire for revenge or a theft-to-order for a private collector.