More than a thousand years after his death, medieval Bulgarian ruler Czar Samuel has been reburied in Sofia following a state ceremony. The repatriation concludes decades of diplomatic negotiations between Bulgaria and Greece, coinciding with a reciprocal cultural artifact exchange between the two nations.
The remains arrived on a military aircraft escorted by air force fighter jets, landing at Vasil Levski Airport before a procession brought them to the Church of Saint Sofia. Patriarch Daniil, head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, led prayers at the white marble sarcophagus where the ruler was laid to rest.
An emotional woman told BNR’s reporter Evelina Stoyanova that the event signifies a new period of growth for the country and the Balkans. President Iotova told the media that it was as though the blinded soldiers had regained their sight to show the ruler the way to his homeland and people. Associate Professor Albena Milanova of the Centre for Slavo-Byzantine Studies Prof. Ivan Duychev told BNT that Samuel led the state through an extremely difficult period with dignity, personal sacrifices, and great selflessness, while retired art historian Tsanka Zlatkova, 65, described the reburial as a long-awaited homecoming.
Decades of Diplomacy and the Thessaloniki Protocol
The return of the medieval ruler’s bones marks the culmination of talks that began nearly five decades ago, tracing back to discussions between former Greek prime minister Konstantinos Karamanlis and Bulgaria’s communist leader Todor Zhivkov. The formal protocols were executed at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, attended by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev.
“If, in the past, Czar Samuel divided us, I can say that today he unites us.”
Rumen Radev, Bulgarian Prime Minister
Under the reciprocal agreement, Greece transferred the anthropological material discovered in 1965 by archaeologist Nikolaos Moutsopoulos at the Basilica of St. Achillios in the Prespa region. These artifacts were preserved at Bulgaria’s National Museum of History in Sofia while the territories were under the rule of Tsar Ferdinand I, and they are temporarily exhibited at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki through November 5, 2026, before returning permanently to their institutions of origin.
Mitsotakis Links Accord to Parthenon Sculptures Recovery
During the Thessaloniki ceremony, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis linked the accord to Athens’ ongoing campaign to recover the fifth-century BC Parthenon sculptures from the British Museum. He argued that the global community is re-evaluating its longstanding stance on protecting cultural heritage, maintaining that monuments and historical heirlooms cannot be treated as spoils of war. Recalling that Lord Elgin—then serving as the British ambassador to the Ottoman court—ordered the removal of the carvings from the Parthenon before they were acquired by the British Museum in 1816 after he was compelled to sell them, the Greek premier noted that piecing the broken monument back together upholds architectural wholeness rather than calling into question the wider purpose of global museums.
Despite widespread governmental backing for the bilateral deal, it also sparked domestic debate within Greece. Celebrating the recovery of the 48 treasures as the fruits of prolonged and dogged talks, the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece voiced particular contentment. Meanwhile, the Holy Metropolis of Xanthi and Peritheorion has stepped into the fray as well, demanding that 50 ecclesiastical artifacts—among them manuscripts and early printed works originating from the Holy Monasteries of Panagia Kalamous and Panagia Archangeliotissa—be sent back. The Holy Metropolis of Serres and Nigrita hailed the pact as a milestone for the local Church, the residents of Serres, and the country.
Sofia Reflects on Symbolic Weight of Reburial
Beyond bilateral ties between Athens and Sofia, the medieval monarch remains a subject of shared regional history.
“The global community is essentially re-evaluating its longstanding stance on protecting cultural heritage.”
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greek Prime Minister
In Sofia, citizens and analysts reflected on the symbolic weight of the reburial.