Archive · 29 Sep 2026
Greece to Hand Over Remains of Medieval Bulgarian Tsar Samuel
Greece and Bulgaria made an agreement about the remains of Tsar Samuel.
The remains were found in Greece and are identified as belonging to the medieval Bulgarian ruler.
Samuel ruled from 997 to 1014.
Many Bulgarians view him as a national hero.
Archaeologist Nikolaos Moutsopoulos found the remains in 1965.
They were discovered at the Basilica of Saint Achillios near Prespa Lake.
The remains have been kept in a museum in Thessaloniki.
Bulgaria will receive Samuel’s remains, while Greece will receive nearly 50 religious relics.
Greece and Bulgaria signed an agreement for the handover of remains identified as those of Tsar Samuel.
Samuel, also known as Samuil, ruled the First Bulgarian Empire from 997 to 1014.
Archaeologist Nikolaos Moutsopoulos discovered the remains in 1965 at the Basilica of Saint Achillios in northern Greece.
The remains have been stored at Thessaloniki’s Museum of Byzantine Culture in recent years.
Under the agreement, Greece will receive nearly 50 religious relics removed to Bulgaria during World War One.
- Who
- Greece, Bulgaria, Tsar Samuel, and the archaeologist Nikolaos Moutsopoulos are central to the agreement.
- What
- Greece will hand over remains identified as those of Samuel, while receiving nearly 50 religious relics.
- When
- The agreement was signed on September 29, and an official handover ceremony is expected on October 3.
- Where
- The remains are held at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki; they were discovered at the Basilica of Saint Achillios in northern Greece.
- Why
- The handover addresses Bulgaria’s decades-long effort to bring Samuel’s remains home and establishes transfers of historic and religious artefacts between the countries.
- Ruler
- Tsar Samuel, also known as Samuil, ruled from 997 to 1014.
- Discovery
- The remains were discovered in 1965 by archaeologist Nikolaos Moutsopoulos.
- Discovery site
- The remains were found at the Basilica of Saint Achillios on an island in Prespa Lake.
- Current location
- The remains have been stored at Thessaloniki’s Museum of Byzantine Culture.
- Relics transferred to Greece
- Nearly 50 religious relics removed to Bulgaria during World War One.
- Ceremony
- An official handover ceremony is expected on October 3.
- Bulgarian effort
- Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the handover ended six decades of efforts to bring the remains home.