Jose Manuel Fernandez Castineiras stole the collection money from Santiago de Compostela cathedral in Galicia, northwestern Spain, over the 26 years that he worked there.
He also stole a medieval book called Codex Calixtinus from an unlocked safe. The ancient book contains travel advice for the Camino de Santiago, also known as the St. James' Way, which is a Christian pilgrimage across Europe which ends at Santiago de Compostela, where it's said the remains of James are buried.
The Codex Caxtinus was found in plastic bag in Mr Castineira's garage, along with large amounts of banknotes and his diaries.
In the diaries, he listed his stealing alongside other everyday activities.
For example, his diary entry on Jan 5 2005 according to The Daily Telegraph reads: "Go to cathedral, take €2,910 and $114, update my account books, go out and have two coffees, return to the cathedral, back to a cafe, chat with a priest, take a siesta, feed the animals, pick up wife from work, and do an electrical repair job... Tomorrow is Epiphany."
A court the city of A Coruna also ordered Mr Castineiras to repay €270,000, which is the amount of money he attempted to launder by buying two flats in Santiago, the capital city of Galicia.
His wife was sentenced to six months in prison for concealing Mr Castineira's crimes. Their son, whose names the two flats in Santiago were under, was acquitted.
Jose Maria Diaz, a former dean on Santiago de Compostela who became a good friend of Mr Castineiras during his work there, resigned because of the security failings at the cathedral.