The list of treasures that the Francos wanted to take from the Pazo de Meirás in moving trucks

The Pazo de Meirás, which the Franco must restore to the State this Thursday, is full of treasures. The inventory carried out by order of the Court number one of A Coruña and to which elDiario.es has had access, catalogs a total of 697 assets, 616 of them inside the unique castle with three towers designed by Emilia Pardo Bazán and 81 scattered in its gardens . The value of many of these very old pieces is incalculable. There are the well-known and medieval figures of the prophets Abraham and Isaac that were part of an old door of the Cathedral of Santiago. But there are also scattered among the herbs of the gardens of the domain located in Sada (A Coruña) other five ancient stone sculptures representing the pilgrim Santiago and the saints Pablo, Cristóbal, Francisco and Andrés. They are some of the many historical-artistic pieces of great value that come to light in the list made by court order.

An inventory that, once delivered last Friday to the State and other public administrations (Xunta, Diputación de A Coruña, municipalities of A Coruña and Sada) as well as the heirs of the dictator, will be key in the discussion that they must engage in to determine what Assets are part of the emblematic nine-hectare property that, provisionally and until there is a final judgment, will pass into the hands of the public patrimony.

Two architects, an art historian and an archaeologist, together with a representative of the National Heritage, were in charge of carrying out the huge inventory. It began with a visit to the mansion on November 11, during which they made an extensive graphic report with 1,021 photographs and a video of 80 files. They did not open cabinets, drawers or furniture, they only limited themselves to documenting, sometimes with difficulties due to lack of light, the thousand and one objects and pieces that were found on their journey. The Pazo de Meirás, paid for with forced civil contributions and public money, was donated to Francisco Franco in 1938, during the Civil War, in his capacity as self-proclaimed head of state. Judge Marta Canales, in a historic sentence of last September, ordered the return to the State of the emblematic property that the dictator and his family occupied for 82 years.

Until now, no catalog had been made of everything in the pazo and its gardens. When the Xunta de Galicia declared it an Asset of Cultural Interest in 2008, as a historical site, it had limited itself to inspecting the state of conservation and highlighting its character as a magnificent monument. The extensive list of assets that it still houses inside shows the importance of the place that the State will now manage. Franco's wife Carmen Polo's fondness for antiques was known and how she was bringing to Meirás, the summer scene of 40 years of dictatorship, historical pieces from all over Galicia.

What follows is the inventory report to which elDiario.es has had exclusive access.