Greece and Bulgaria have reached an agreement that will see the remains of the medieval Bulgarian ruler Tsar Samuel returned to Bulgaria more than 60 years after they were discovered in northern Greece. In exchange, 48 religious and cultural objects taken from Greece during the First World War will be returned by Bulgaria.
The agreement was announced this week following the signing of a memorandum of understanding by Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni and her Bulgarian counterpart, Evtim Miloshev. The formal handover is scheduled to take place on October 3rd at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, in the presence of the prime ministers of Greece and Bulgaria.
The remains attributed to Samuel, who ruled the Bulgarian Empire from 997 until his death in 1014, were discovered in 1965 during archaeological excavations led by Greek archaeologist Nikolaos Moutsopoulos. They were found in the Basilica of Saint Achillios on an island in Little Prespa Lake, close to Greece’s modern borders with Albania and North Macedonia.
According to the Greek Ministry of Culture, Greece will transfer the remains identified as those of Samuel along with other human remains recovered from four sarcophagi inside the basilica. The remains have been kept in recent years at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki.
A medieval ruler at war with Byzantium
Facial reconstruction of Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria, based on his attributed remains. Photo by Shakko / Wikimedia Commons
Samuel was one of the most important rulers of the First Bulgarian Empire and spent much of his career fighting the Byzantine Empire. Before formally becoming tsar in 997, he had already emerged as the dominant Bulgarian military and political leader during a period in which Byzantine forces had conquered much of the eastern part of Bulgaria.
Samuel and his brothers David, Moses and Aaron were members of the Cometopuli dynasty. They continued Bulgarian resistance from the western territories of the empire, and as Samuel’s brothers disappeared from the political scene, he became the leading figure in the struggle against Byzantium.
Samuel’s forces campaigned throughout much of the Balkans. At the height of his power, his realm encompassed most of modern Bulgaria and North Macedonia, as well as territories in Greece, Albania and Serbia.
Prespa became one of the important centres of Samuel’s rule. After capturing the Greek city of Larissa, he transferred the relics of Saint Achillios, the city’s patron saint, to Prespa and constructed a large basilica dedicated to him on the island of Agios Achillios in Little Prespa Lake. The church also became an important ecclesiastical centre within his realm.
Samuel later established his principal centre at Ohrid, but his long conflict with the Byzantine emperor Basil II increasingly turned against him during the early 11th century. Byzantine armies gradually captured fortresses and territories held by Samuel’s forces.
The decisive defeat came at the Battle of Kleidion in 1014. Samuel died later that year, on October 6, and was succeeded by his son Gavril Radomir. Bulgarian resistance continued for several more years, but in 1018 Basil II completed the conquest of the Bulgarian Empire and incorporated its territories into the Byzantine Empire.
Remains discovered in 1965
The skeleton discovered in one of the graves at the Basilica of Saint Achillios in Little Prespa, which archaeologist Nikolaos Moutsopoulos later identified as the remains of Tsar Samuel. Photo from the 1967 excavations by Nikolaos Moutsopoulos / Archaeological Society at Athens, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
The connection between Samuel and the Basilica of Saint Achillios took on new importance when Moutsopoulos excavated the site during the 1960s.
Four sarcophagi were discovered inside the basilica. Moutsopoulos identified one of the skeletons as Samuel, and the Greek Ministry of Culture now describes the remains as having been identified as belonging to the Bulgarian ruler.
The Bulgarian government says that remains from two other sarcophagi will also be transferred and identifies them as belonging to Samuel’s son and successor, Gavril Radomir, and other members of the royal family.
Bulgaria has sought the return of Samuel’s remains since their discovery. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said efforts to secure their transfer have continued for six decades and described the new agreement as the result of intensive negotiations between the two countries.
“We have had the historic honour of achieving this, and I want to express my deepest gratitude to the prime minister of friendly Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, for his statesmanlike vision, political courage and determination to reach this agreement together, which binds our two countries even more closely,” Radev said, according to the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency.
Radev added that the memory of Samuel today “unites rather than divides” Greece and Bulgaria.
Following the ceremony in Thessaloniki on October 3, the remains are expected to be transported to Sofia aboard a Bulgarian military aircraft. Samuel’s remains will then be placed in a specially prepared sarcophagus in the Church of Saint Sophia.
Radev has invited members of the public to gather at Battenberg Square in Sofia to receive the remains before a procession takes them to the church.
48 religious objects returning to Greece
Bulgarian Culture Minister Evtim Miloshev and Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni following the signing of the agreement for the exchange of Tsar Samuel’s remains and 48 religious and cultural objects. Photo courtesy Greek Ministry of Culture.
The agreement will also see Bulgaria transfer 48 religious and cultural objects to Greece. They come from the Monastery of Panagia Eikosifoinissa, the Monastery of Timios Prodromos at Serres and the Metropolis of Serres and Nigrita.
The objects were transferred to Sofia in 1917, during the First World War, and subsequently became part of the collections of Bulgaria’s National Historical Museum, where they have been either displayed or kept in storage.
Their return has also been the subject of long-running discussions between Greece and Bulgaria. Under the new agreement, the objects will initially be displayed at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki.
The exhibition will continue until November 5. Afterwards, the objects will be transferred to the monasteries and the Metropolis from which they originated.
The agreement does not necessarily mark the end of cultural exchanges between the two countries. Greece and Bulgaria have agreed to continue negotiations aimed at identifying other historical objects of mutual interest that could be included in a subsequent agreement.
Greece and Bulgaria have reached an agreement that will see the remains of the medieval Bulgarian ruler Tsar Samuel returned to Bulgaria more than 60 years after they were discovered in northern Greece. In exchange, 48 religious and cultural objects taken from Greece during the First World War will be returned by Bulgaria.
The agreement was announced this week following the signing of a memorandum of understanding by Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni and her Bulgarian counterpart, Evtim Miloshev. The formal handover is scheduled to take place on October 3rd at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, in the presence of the prime ministers of Greece and Bulgaria.
The remains attributed to Samuel, who ruled the Bulgarian Empire from 997 until his death in 1014, were discovered in 1965 during archaeological excavations led by Greek archaeologist Nikolaos Moutsopoulos. They were found in the Basilica of Saint Achillios on an island in Little Prespa Lake, close to Greece’s modern borders with Albania and North Macedonia.
According to the Greek Ministry of Culture, Greece will transfer the remains identified as those of Samuel along with other human remains recovered from four sarcophagi inside the basilica. The remains have been kept in recent years at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki.
A medieval ruler at war with Byzantium
Samuel was one of the most important rulers of the First Bulgarian Empire and spent much of his career fighting the Byzantine Empire. Before formally becoming tsar in 997, he had already emerged as the dominant Bulgarian military and political leader during a period in which Byzantine forces had conquered much of the eastern part of Bulgaria.
Samuel and his brothers David, Moses and Aaron were members of the Cometopuli dynasty. They continued Bulgarian resistance from the western territories of the empire, and as Samuel’s brothers disappeared from the political scene, he became the leading figure in the struggle against Byzantium.
Samuel’s forces campaigned throughout much of the Balkans. At the height of his power, his realm encompassed most of modern Bulgaria and North Macedonia, as well as territories in Greece, Albania and Serbia.
Prespa became one of the important centres of Samuel’s rule. After capturing the Greek city of Larissa, he transferred the relics of Saint Achillios, the city’s patron saint, to Prespa and constructed a large basilica dedicated to him on the island of Agios Achillios in Little Prespa Lake. The church also became an important ecclesiastical centre within his realm.
Samuel later established his principal centre at Ohrid, but his long conflict with the Byzantine emperor Basil II increasingly turned against him during the early 11th century. Byzantine armies gradually captured fortresses and territories held by Samuel’s forces.
The decisive defeat came at the Battle of Kleidion in 1014. Samuel died later that year, on October 6, and was succeeded by his son Gavril Radomir. Bulgarian resistance continued for several more years, but in 1018 Basil II completed the conquest of the Bulgarian Empire and incorporated its territories into the Byzantine Empire.
Remains discovered in 1965
The connection between Samuel and the Basilica of Saint Achillios took on new importance when Moutsopoulos excavated the site during the 1960s.
Four sarcophagi were discovered inside the basilica. Moutsopoulos identified one of the skeletons as Samuel, and the Greek Ministry of Culture now describes the remains as having been identified as belonging to the Bulgarian ruler.
The Bulgarian government says that remains from two other sarcophagi will also be transferred and identifies them as belonging to Samuel’s son and successor, Gavril Radomir, and other members of the royal family.
Bulgaria has sought the return of Samuel’s remains since their discovery. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said efforts to secure their transfer have continued for six decades and described the new agreement as the result of intensive negotiations between the two countries.
“We have had the historic honour of achieving this, and I want to express my deepest gratitude to the prime minister of friendly Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, for his statesmanlike vision, political courage and determination to reach this agreement together, which binds our two countries even more closely,” Radev said, according to the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency.
Radev added that the memory of Samuel today “unites rather than divides” Greece and Bulgaria.
Following the ceremony in Thessaloniki on October 3, the remains are expected to be transported to Sofia aboard a Bulgarian military aircraft. Samuel’s remains will then be placed in a specially prepared sarcophagus in the Church of Saint Sophia.
Radev has invited members of the public to gather at Battenberg Square in Sofia to receive the remains before a procession takes them to the church.
48 religious objects returning to Greece
The agreement will also see Bulgaria transfer 48 religious and cultural objects to Greece. They come from the Monastery of Panagia Eikosifoinissa, the Monastery of Timios Prodromos at Serres and the Metropolis of Serres and Nigrita.
The objects were transferred to Sofia in 1917, during the First World War, and subsequently became part of the collections of Bulgaria’s National Historical Museum, where they have been either displayed or kept in storage.
Their return has also been the subject of long-running discussions between Greece and Bulgaria. Under the new agreement, the objects will initially be displayed at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki.
The exhibition will continue until November 5. Afterwards, the objects will be transferred to the monasteries and the Metropolis from which they originated.
The agreement does not necessarily mark the end of cultural exchanges between the two countries. Greece and Bulgaria have agreed to continue negotiations aimed at identifying other historical objects of mutual interest that could be included in a subsequent agreement.
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