Return of 48 ecclesiastical treasures from Bulgaria – Metropolises voice hopes and reservations

More than a century after they were removed, 48 ecclesiastical treasures are returning to Greece under an agreement between Greece and Bulgaria providing for the reciprocal transfer of historical artifacts and anthropological remains.

Today, Saturday, October 3, at 10:30 a.m., the relevant handover and acceptance protocols were signed at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, in the presence of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his Bulgarian counterpart, Rumen Radev.

The process follows the Memorandum of Understanding signed on September 29 by the two countries’ culture ministers, Lina Mendoni and Eftim Miloshev, after years of negotiations.

The treasures were removed in 1917, during World War I, and have since been kept or exhibited at Bulgaria’s National History Museum in Sofia. They originate from the Holy Monastery of Panagia Eikosifoinissa, the Holy Monastery of St. John the Baptist in Serres and the Holy Metropolis of Serres and Nigrita.

The 48 treasures will remain at the Museum of Byzantine Culture until November 5, 2026, after which they will be permanently returned to the monasteries and Metropolis from which they were removed.

For its…