Santa María de Albarracín Foundation to Restore 14th Century Medieval Codex from Teruel
The Santa María de Albarracín Foundation will begin the restoration process of a medieval codex from the 14th century, which contains 170 folios with 107 legal provisions related to Teruel and its villages. The volume was recovered by the police in Murcia and handed over to the Provincial Historical Archive of Zaragoza, where it was digitized before undergoing restoration.
The codex contains 170 folios made of period paper with 107 acts and legal provisions — privileges, donations, sentences, and court acts — issued by the king or other agents between 1208 and 1318. It was primarily created in the early 1300s, with subsequent additions up to the 1320s. Its themes range from fines for homicides, enjoyment of pastures, privileges for knights, market locations, territorial boundaries, provisions for butcheries, Jewish usury, and saltworks in Arcos. Approximately half of the contained acts are unpublished or previously unknown.
The overall state of preservation is considered good, aided by the quality of Hispano-Arabic paper, iron gall ink, linen thread, and parchment cords. However, localized damage has been identified: insect attacks, dust, dirt, disconnection of gatherings, loose leaves, darkening of the paper, stains, and moisture halos. Restorer Sara Mañoso will oversee the work, which will include analysis of the paper and inks without the need to resew the volume.
The codex returned to Aragón after being voluntarily handed over in June 2025 to the Murcia police by an anonymous individual. It was analyzed at the Regional Archive of Murcia, identified as a compilation of royal grants to medieval institutions from Teruel. The General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of Murcia handed it over to the Government of Aragón in June 2025. Its final destination is the Provincial Historical Archive of Teruel, though it will remain accessible through the DARA portal (Documents and Archives of Aragón) for researchers.
