Greece and Bulgaria Agree to Exchange Tsar Samuil's Remains
Greece will return the remains of Tsar Samuil and other royal family members to Bulgaria in exchange for 48 historical artifacts taken during World War I.
Greece and Bulgaria have reached a historic agreement to repatriate the mortal remains of Roumen Radev's predecessor in national memory, Tsar Samuil, who ruled from 997 to 1014 CE. The agreement, formalized through a memorandum of understanding signed by Culture Ministers Lina Mendoni and Evtim Miloshev, involves a reciprocal exchange of cultural property. Bulgaria will return 48 objects taken during the First World War from the diocese of Serres and Nigrita, including relics from the Monastery of St. John the Baptist and the Monastery of the Holy Mother of God Ikosifinissa.
The remains of Tsar Samuil, discovered in 1965 at the Basilica of St. Achillios, are currently held at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki. Greece will return these remains along with anthropological material from other sarcophagi attributed to Samuil's son, Gavril Radomir, and other royal family members.
Prime Ministers Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Roumen Radev will attend the official signing of transfer protocols on the morning of Saturday, October 3, in Thessaloniki. Following the handover, the remains will be transported by military aircraft to Sofia for a public ceremony at Battenberg Square and a final procession to the Church of St. Sophia. The two nations have agreed to continue negotiations regarding other disputed historical objects.
