Remains attributed to the medieval ruler Samuel arrived in Sofia from Greece on October 3 after years of negotiations. The reciprocal deal provides for 48 religious objects taken from Greek churches and monasteries during the First World War to return to Greece. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis hopes the agreement will support Athens’ campaign for the Parthenon sculptures; no British return agreement was announced.
Remains attributed to the medieval ruler Samuel arrived in Sofia from Greece on October 3, after decades of negotiations. A military aircraft carried the coffin with a fighter-jet escort. Thousands attended the ceremony in the Bulgarian capital, which included the national anthem and a 21-gun salute. The Greek-Bulgarian handover ceremony took place in Thessaloniki on Saturday. The remains are thought to belong to Samuel.[1], [2]
The reciprocal cultural agreement provides for Greece to receive 48 religious objects removed by Bulgarian troops from Greek churches and monasteries during the First World War. The Guardian lists icons, crosses and ornate church vessels among them and says they had been kept at Bulgaria’s National History Museum. The attributed remains form the other side of the exchange. They were discovered in a Greek border area in the 1960s and became the subject of prolonged talks between the neighbours.[1], [2]
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he hoped the agreement would strengthen Greece’s campaign for the return of the Parthenon sculptures displayed at the British Museum. His remarks concern the example set by the Greek-Bulgarian deal; they announce no new British agreement. In Sofia, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev placed Samuel within shared European heritage and called for peace. The remains were taken to the sixth-century Church of Saint Sophia.[1], [2]
