The church relics returned by Bulgaria were officially handed over to the church in Serres. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis attended the ceremony at the Metropolitan Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel and described the return of the treasures as a tangible result of cultural diplomacy.
“Justice means that historical memory returns to its natural place,” Mitsotakis said. According to him, the relics have priceless historical, artistic and religious value.
The Greek prime minister stressed that the agreement between the two countries maintains an active channel of communication and could lead to the documentation and return of other treasures that are still located in Bulgaria. He described what had been achieved as a response to criticism of the agreement.
What the agreement provides for
The church treasures were handed over under a memorandum signed on September 29, 2026, by the ministers of culture of Bulgaria and Greece. Under the agreement, 48 items originating from the Metropolitanate of Serres and Nigrita, the Monastery of Saint John the Baptist and the Monastery of Panagia Eikosifinissa are being returned to Greece.
The relics were taken out of the country in 1917, during the First World War. They include icons, crosses, liturgical vestments, reliquaries, church vessels and a bishop’s throne. After the solemn service, the items were carried in a procession and placed in a specially made glass display case.
The Metropolitan of Serres and Nigrita, Theologos, thanked the Greek government and said that although the returned treasures are few in number, their value and significance are enormous. He expressed the local residents’ wish for other church treasures to be returned as well.
The exchange also includes the remains of Tsar Samuil
On October 3, at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, Bulgaria received the remains identified as belonging to Tsar Samuil, as well as other human and anthropological material discovered in four sarcophagi at the Basilica of Saint Achillius in Little Prespa.
At the time, Mitsotakis said that the two countries could continue their cooperation on the return of other relics of common interest. The current ceremony in Serres is the next stage of the agreement between Sofia and Athens.
Sources: btvnovinite.bg, nova.bg