Remains of medieval king Czar Samuel arrive in Bulgaria after decades of talks with Greece
The transfer ends six decades of Bulgarian efforts and includes a reciprocal exchange of 48 religious relics, officials said.
- On Saturday, the remains of Bulgarian Tsar Samuel arrived in Sofia following an official handover ceremony at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, hosted by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
- Decades of negotiations followed the 1965 discovery by Greek archaeologist Nikolaos Moutsopoulos at the Basilica of Saint Achillios. Samuel, who reigned from 997 to 1014, resisted the Byzantine Empire as a national hero.
- Under the reciprocal agreement, Athens receives 48 religious relics pillaged during World War One. The remains were transported to Sofia aboard a military aircraft with a fighter jet escort.
- Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev hailed the accord as a 'historic agreement,' stating Samuel 'unites us' today. Mitsotakis acknowledged the remains have 'incalculable cultural and spiritual but also emotional value.'
- Analyst Dimitar Bechev noted the initiative aims to emphasize the Bulgarian character of the Slavic population in Macedonia, as North Macedonia also claims Samuel as 'their' ruler with a statue in Skopje.
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After decades of negotiations, Greece handed over to Bulgaria the remains of medieval King Samuel, who were met in Sofia by a military plane with State honors.
Bulgaria successfully recovered remains from Greece on Saturday believed to belong to Tsar Samuel, one of the last prominent rulers of the First Bulgarian Empire, more than a thousand years after his death. This followed an agreement reached this week between Greece and Bulgaria for the return of the remains, which Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev described as "historic." "These remains belong to both our peoples," Radev said during the hand…
THESSALONIKI (ANP/RTR) - The remains of a Bulgarian Tsar have been handed over to Bulgaria in Thessaloniki, Greece, after more than a thousand years. Tsar Samuel ruled a Bulgarian empire from 997 to 1014, during which he waged war against the neighboring Byzantine Empire. Samuel's empire covered increasingly...
Radio France Internationale
France24Bulgaria's Tsar Samuel returns 'home' after 1,000 years
Greece and Bulgaria reached an agreement on their return this week, with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev hailing the accord as "historic". The remains "belong to our two peoples", Radev said as he attended a ceremony to mark the return alongside Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Greece will in return receive 48 objects pillaged by Bulgarian troops from churches and monasteries in northern Greece during World War I. Samuel, who reigned…
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