Bones of medieval tsar, 48 religious relics to be exchanged under new Greece-Bulgaria heritage MoU
The official handover ceremony will take place on October 3, at the the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki.
Greek and Bulgarian culture ministers, Lina Mendoni and Evtim Miloshev, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Tuesday to exchange 48 Greek religious relics and the remains of a medieval Bulgarian tsar. Bulgaria will return the relics from three Holy Monasteries to Greece, which had been in Sofia's National History Museum since WWI.
Greece, in turn, will hand over the remains of Tsar Samuel, who ruled the First Bulgarian Empire from 997 to 1014, found in the Basilica of Saint Achillios in 1965. Samuel's remains were previously displayed at Thessaloniki's Museum of Byzantine Culture. Upon their return, the relics will be shown at the Museum of Byzantine Culture until November 5 before being sent back to Bulgaria.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev hailed the agreement as 'historic' and expressed gratitude to Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis for fostering friendship between the two nations. Bulgarian citizens are invited to gather on October 3 at Battenberg Square in Sofia to welcome Samuel's remains and pay homage to the revered ruler.
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