Fifty-three precious ecclesiastical treasures taken from monasteries in Macedonia have gone on display in Thessaloniki after 109 years in Bulgaria.
They include an impressive wooden door inlaid with ivory and bone, a silver cover for an icon of Saint John the Baptist, two ornate processional crosses and several reliquaries, one of which bears the date 25 March 1821.
The 53 items, recorded under 48 inventory entries, date from the 16th to the 19th century. Among them are icons, liturgical vessels, vestments, a bishop’s throne, a gate and a lectern.
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni presented the collection on Saturday at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, where it is on temporary display before the objects return to the monasteries and church authorities they came from.
Their return is the first result of the agreement Greece signed with Bulgaria on 29 September for the reciprocal “deposit” of heirlooms of historical value to both countries. The next phase will involve researching the provenance of, and reclaiming, other cultural property removed from Greek monasteries.
“The return of these specific items recognises their direct and legal ownership by Greece,” Mendoni said.
Treasures of rare artistic value
Standouts include two pairs of 16th-century liturgical fans (ripidia) of gilded silver and enamel, inscribed with the words of the Hymn of Victory: “Singing, crying, shouting and saying: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth.”
According to Mendoni, one pair belongs to the Monastery of Timios Prodromos (Saint John the Baptist) and the other to the Holy Metropolis of Serres and Nigrita, as it is believed to have come from Agioi Theodoroi.
“These are truly unique works of art. They are 16th century, gilded silver and enamel, and were dedicated by Metropolitan Gennadios of Serres,” she said.
The returned sections of the silver icon cover, which depicts scenes from the life of Saint John the Baptist, complete the venerated icon on the iconostasis of the Monastery of Timios Prodromos, restoring its integrity.
The treasures come mainly from the Monastery of Timios Prodromos, the Monastery of Eikosifoinissa and the Holy Metropolis of Serres and Nigrita and one from Naousa.
“They are objects of inestimable historical, cultural and emotional value. And I say emotional because they carry inscriptions naming hierarchs, monks, abbots, even ordinary craftsmen,” Mendoni said.
Looted in the early 20th century
Bulgarian occupation forces in the early 20th century took ecclesiastical objects, vestments, manuscripts and early printed books from monasteries in Macedonia. Under the Treaty of Neuilly, this cultural property should have been returned to Greece.
A first return took place in May 1923, when Byzantinist Georgios Sotiriou received crates containing 259 manuscripts and 62 objects and printed books. Many items, however, never came back.
In the next stage, Greek experts will gain access to Bulgarian catalogues and the objects themselves to document their origin and submit return requests. The process is expected to begin in late October or early November.
Mendoni defends Tsar Samuel deal
Mendoni rejected criticism that Greece had weakened its position by handing Bulgaria the bones of Tsar Samuel under the agreement, noting they were only given to the Museum of Byzantine Culture in 2012, after being kept at a Polytechnic laboratory and then at the home of Professor Nikolaos Moutsopoulos.
“We received precious ecclesiastical and historical heirlooms, which meant a lot to the Bulgarians and mean even more to us, and we gave the bones of Samuel. Who is the real winner? I think the real winner is our homeland and our Church,” she said.
“Greece does not seek to have Cold War-style relations with its neighbours,” she added.
Source: Kathimerini
