Greece and Bulgaria exchange 48 World War I relics for remains of Tsar Samuel

Bilateral handover in Thessaloniki

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev attend a signing ceremony at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki on 3 October 2026 at 10:30. The official proceedings formalize protocols for the mutual delivery and receipt of historical religious relics and anthropological remains between Greece and Bulgaria. The event concludes the implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Greek Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni and Bulgarian Minister of Culture Evtim Miloshev. The arrangement follows years of systematic negotiations directed by the Greek Ministry of Culture to recover objects removed during regional conflicts. Both delegations gather in Thessaloniki to finalize the administrative steps required for the exchange.

Terms of the artifact and relic exchange

Under the bilateral protocol, Bulgaria returns 48 ecclesiastical relics that were taken 109 years ago and preserved in the National Museum of History in Sofia. In exchange, Greece transfers anthropological material identified as the remains of Tsar Samuel, the medieval monarch who ruled the Bulgarian Empire from 997 to 1014. The Greek handover also includes additional human remains excavated from four separate sarcophagi at the Basilica of Agios Achillios in Prespes. Archaeologist and professor Nikolaos Moutsopoulos discovered these anthropological specimens during excavations in 1965, after which they were curated at the Museum of Byzantine Culture. The 48 returning treasures will remain on public display in the Thessaloniki museum until 5 November 2026, after which authorities will transport them permanently to their original monasteries and regional ecclesiastical seats.

Origins and wartime removal

The 48 returning ecclesiastical treasures belong to three regional institutions: the Holy Monastery of Panagia Ikosifinissa on Mount Pangaion, the Holy Monastery of Timios Prodromos in Serres, and the Holy Metropolis of Serres and Nigrita. Bulgarian occupation forces removed the items in 1917 during World War I and transported them directly to Sofia. The transfer formed part of wartime destruction and looting that affected monastic communities and churches across northern Greece. The Holy Monastery of Panagia Ikosifinissa suffered further damage in subsequent conflicts. In 1943, during a third Bulgarian occupation, soldiers expelled the resident brotherhood and burned down the monastic complex, sparing only the central church. The monastery lay abandoned for more than two decades until 1967, when it reopened as a female convent.

Ecclesiastical reaction and future claims

The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece published an official statement expressing satisfaction with the return of the 48 relics after extensive negotiations. The governing church body characterized the agreement as a national accomplishment achieved through coordination between state institutions and the Orthodox Church. Church leaders noted that the restitution addresses losses endured for "more than a century" after systematic diplomatic efforts. The Holy Synod also stated its aspiration that the bilateral memorandum represents "only a good beginning" for subsequent diplomatic accords between Athens and Sofia. Ecclesiastical authorities plan to pursue further agreements to recover additional religious relics taken from churches, monasteries, and historical sites located throughout Eastern Macedonia and Thrace.