The Fuero de Brihuega, considered lost since the end of 1938, will return today to its place of origin, fulfilling the wishes of the soldier who saved this 13th-century codex from the flames during the Civil War. His son handed him over to the Civil Guard so that they could take charge of this priceless document and channel his return to the town of Brihuega, in Guadalajara.

The deceased father of the holder of the charter was part of the military unit that took the town at the end of 1938 and, according to the Civil Guard, "was the one who was able to prevent its destruction along with many other books that were burning."

The codex of more than seventy parchment pages, protected by two thick walnut boards that are joined by their lower edge to the jurisdiction with four strong strips of sheepskin, is in a good state of preservation.

It could have been created in 1242, when the Archbishop of Toledo Rodrigo Ximénez de Rada granted the charter to the town of Brihuega. It contains the signature of the archbishop, as well as that of other ecclesiastical authorities who signed it later.

The charter, which includes a set of legal rules and the severe penalties that must be imposed on those who fail to comply with them, is written in a typeface that paleographers call French, in different colors, forming different interlaced ornaments typical of the miniatures of that time. A simple border of strokes in both colors embraces three of the sides of the first page.

Archeology professor Juan Catalina García studied it before its disappearance and published a book in which he described it in detail, which has served to identify the document now delivered.

The person who inherited it asked the Soler y Llach auction house in Barcelona how he should proceed for its delivery and they put him in contact with the Historical Heritage Section of the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard.

The Benemérita explains that with certain frequency, the holders of cultural property who have in their custody pieces of which they cannot prove their lawful origin, trust her for their return to the competent Administration, in a way that guarantees their enjoyment by all citizens.

This afternoon the Fuero de Brihuega will be delivered to the mayor of the town, Luis Viejo Esteban, in a cultural event in the Sala Noble of the Castillo de Piedra Bermeja de Brihuega.