Greece Agrees to Return Remains of Tsar Samuil to Bulgaria

SOFIA, BULGARIA — Greece has agreed to transfer to Bulgaria the remains of Tsar Samuil, the medieval Bulgarian ruler who reigned from 997 to 1014. The agreement, signed by the culture ministers of the two countries on September 29, also provides for the reciprocal transfer of historical and religious artifacts.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Roumen Radev called the agreement “historic,” noting that Bulgarian governments had sought the return of Samuil’s remains for six decades. The remains were discovered in 1965 by Greek archaeologist Nikolaos Moutsopoulos during excavations at the Basilica of St. Achillios on an island in Lake Prespa. They have been kept in Thessaloniki’s Museum of Byzantine Culture.

Under the agreement, Greece will receive nearly 50 religious relics that were transferred to Bulgaria during World War I. The arrangement followed years of negotiations over the remains, with Bulgarian officials raising the issue repeatedly, including during contacts between the two countries in 2022.

Radev said that the remains of two additional sarcophagi discovered at St. Achillios, identified as belonging to Tsar Gavril Radomir and other members of the Bulgarian royal family, will also be transferred to Bulgaria.

A ceremony to hand over Samuil’s remains is scheduled for October 3 at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, with Radev and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expected to attend. Following their transport to Sofia, the remains are to be placed in a special sarcophagus at the Church of St. Sophia.

Previously, the UOJ reported that the Wonderworking Donskoy Icon returned to its historic Moscow monastery.