PASOK-Movement for Change leader Nikos Androulakis is visiting the Drama region today. This morning, Metropolitan Dorotheos of Drama welcomed him to the Holy Monastery of Panagia Eikosifoinissa on Mount Pangaion. They discussed a memorandum of understanding between Greece and Bulgaria on the repatriation of a small number of church treasures and manuscripts stolen from monasteries in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace in 1917.
According to the records, 800 sacred objects and 430 manuscripts were taken from the monastery. The Metropolitan of Drama voiced concern that handing over the remains of Tsar Samuel to Bulgaria in exchange for just 48 artefacts could limit Greece’s ability to negotiate the return of the remaining treasures in future.
Mr Androulakis said he shared the Metropolitan’s concerns, citing three specific reasons.
Three reasons for concern
“The first is the subject matter of the negotiations: on the one hand, we have cultural artefacts of great historical and religious value that were stolen from our country during the Bulgarian looting of the First World War. On the other, we have archaeological finds discovered in Greece,” he said.
He added: “The second reason is the scope of the negotiations: only a very small part of what was stolen is being returned. And third, in carrying out our parliamentary duty, we asked the government to bring the signed memorandum before the relevant parliamentary committee so that it could be assessed and we could be briefed. The government has not done this either,” he said.
The PASOK-Movement for Change leader thanked Mr Dorotheos for the “moving tour of a historic monastery. Along with other monasteries in northern Greece, it must be honoured, as must the people who fought to keep them standing in difficult circumstances.”
The Metropolitan of Drama said: “Mr President, we too warmly thank you for your visit and your interest. We felt it was our duty to show you around, so that you could see at first hand what kind of monastery we are talking about and which treasures we care so deeply about.”