Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis attended a special religious service on November 8, 2026, at the Metropolitan Church in Serres, Greece, where historic religious and ecclesiastical treasures recently returned by Bulgaria were officially welcomed and put on display.
The repatriation follows a bilateral agreement and memorandum of understanding signed by the culture ministries of Greece and Bulgaria at the end of September.
Bulgaria returned a total of 48 historic church objects to Greece, although some reports put the number at 53. The artifacts include religious icons, processional crosses, liturgical vestments, reliquaries, church vessels, lecterns, an elaborately carved episcopal throne, and gilded silver liturgical fans decorated with Byzantine enamel dating to the 16th century.
The objects date from the 16th to the 19th centuries and were taken by Bulgarian military forces in 1917, during World War I, from the Monastery of Saint John the Baptist (Timios Prodromos) near Serres, the old Metropolitan Church of Saint Theodore, and the Monastery of Panagia Eikosifinissa.
Precious Religious Relics Return to Their Historic Home
Among the most remarkable objects displayed in glass cases are two elaborate reliquaries.
One is a silver head-shaped reliquary dedicated to Saint Dionysius, crafted from intricately detailed gilded silver. It originally contained a fragment of the saint’s skull.
Another is an elaborately decorated silver reliquary chest featuring detailed reliefs depicting saints and religious scenes.
The return of these treasures represents part of a historic cultural exchange between Athens and Sofia.
Relics Exchanged for Remains Attributed to Tsar Samuel
As part of the agreement, Greece returned to Bulgaria human remains attributed to the medieval Bulgarian ruler Tsar Samuel, together with additional anthropological material from four sarcophagi.
The remains were discovered in 1965 by Greek archaeologist Nikolaos Moutsopoulos inside the Basilica of Saint Achillius on the small island of Agios Achillios in Lake Prespa.
The official handover took place earlier, on October 3, in Thessaloniki.
Following their return to Greece, the ecclesiastical treasures were initially exhibited at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki until November 5. They were subsequently transferred to their final destination in Serres.
Mitsotakis Defends the Agreement as an Act of Cultural Diplomacy
During the ceremony in Serres, Mitsotakis emphasized the importance of cultural diplomacy, describing the agreement as a correction of a historical injustice and the restoration of collective memory to its rightful place.
He also announced that negotiations with Bulgaria would continue, with the aim of identifying and recovering additional historical artifacts and manuscripts that remain in Bulgarian territory.
Mitsotakis stressed that the agreement would not have been possible without persistent diplomatic negotiations between the two neighboring countries.
He also addressed criticism within Greece over the exchange, particularly concerns that returning the remains attributed to Tsar Samuel in return for the religious treasures represented an unequal arrangement.
“The agreement that opens the way for the repatriation of our treasures is not one-sided. What is truly one-sided, and ultimately works against us, is the inertia and inaction that keep these treasures away from us,” Mitsotakis said.
He added that while Greece’s religious treasures were returning to Serres, Athens was fulfilling its commitment to Bulgaria by handing over the remains attributed to Tsar Samuel and the anthropological material from the four sarcophagi of Saint Achillius.
The agreement marks a significant moment in Greek-Bulgarian cultural relations, while negotiations for the possible return of additional historical treasures are expected to continue.
