The remains of the Bulgarian Tsar Samuil will be welcomed with an official ceremony in Sofia on Saturday, October 3. They will be transported from Greece to Bulgaria by a Spartan plane, after which they will be laid in a special sarcophagus in the church of St. Sophia. This was stated by Prime Minister Rumen Radev before the start of the meeting of the Council of Ministers.
He called on Bulgarian citizens to join in welcoming the remains. “On Saturday, October 3, at 12:30 p.m., I invite all compatriots to Battenberg Square in front of the Prince's Palace in Sofia to welcome the mortal remains together and bow to the memory of the great Bulgarian ruler Tsar Samuil,“ said Radev.
After the ceremony on “Batenberg“ Square, a procession will be held to the “Saint Sophia“ church, where the mortal remains of Tsar Samuil will be laid to rest. According to the Prime Minister, it was there that the future ruler was introduced to Christianity as a child.
The return of the mortal remains is the result of a historic agreement reached between Bulgaria and Greece. It also provides for the reciprocal transfer for storage of historical, religious and cultural artifacts and relics. “For six decades, the Bulgarian state has been making unremitting efforts to return the mortal remains of one of its greatest rulers. We have the historic honor of achieving it“, said Prime Minister Radev.
The mortal remains of Tsar Samuil were discovered in 1965 by the Greek archaeologist Professor Nikolaus Mitsopoulos during excavations in the basilica on the island of Saint Achilles in the Small Prespa Lake. Remains of two other sarcophagi, associated with Tsar Gabriel Radomir and members of the royal family, were also discovered in the same church. They will also be handed over to Bulgaria.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister expressed gratitude to his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis for the agreement reached. “Today, the memory of Samuil unites, not divides, the two countries”, he said.