Greece exhibits 53 historic church objects returned by Bulgaria

An exhibition of 53 historic church objects which Bulgaria recently handed over to Greece under an agreement that also included the transfer of the remains of Tsar Samuel to Bulgaria, has opened at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, the Greek Ministry of Culture said on its website.

The exhibition was opened by Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni and will run until November 5, after which the artefacts will be handed over to the monasteries and church institutions where they originated, the statement said, CE Report quotes BTA.

The exhibits include icons, liturgical vessels, crosses, containers for preserving holy relics, clerical vestments, a bishop's throne, a wooden door and a lectern for liturgical books and icons. Also on display are liturgical fans used in Orthodox church services. The objects date from the 16th to the 19th centuries and originate mainly from the Monastery of St John the Forerunner near Serres and the Monastery of the Virgin Ikosifinissa in northern Greece.

At the opening, Mendoni stressed that the agreement with Bulgaria creates an opportunity for Greek specialists to study and document other objects and manuscripts held in Bulgarian museums and institutions.

Museum of Byzantine Culture Director Flora Karayanni presented the exhibits and explained that their provenance had been established on the basis of inscriptions on the objects themselves and the available scholarly literature.

The church objects were handed over to Greece under a memorandum of understanding signed by the culture ministers of the two countries on September 29, 2026. Under the same agreement, Greece transferred to Bulgaria the mortal remains of Tsar Samuel, discovered in 1965 at the Basilica of St Achillius, as well as other human remains and anthropological material found in four sarcophagi at the church.

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