Remains of Bulgaria’s Czar Samuel return ‘home’ after 1,000 years

The emperor is simply a awesome of Bulgarian nationalist individuality whose repatriation stoked tensions with Greece.

More than 1,000 years aft his death, the remains of medieval ruler Czar Samuel person arrived successful Bulgaria.

A awesome of Bulgarian nationalist identity, Samuel was a warrior emperor who battled the Byzantine Empire to grow his kingdom earlier suffering decision and dying soon aft successful 1014. His expected remains were discovered successful a Greek borderline country successful the 1960s.

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The coffin and remains were flown connected Saturday to the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, connected committee a subject craft that was surrounded by aerial unit combatant jets.

Thousands of radical poured into a nationalist quadrate to honour the czar’s arrival, which capped years of fraught negotiations betwixt Bulgaria and Greece until an accord was reached this week.

Bulgarian politicians crossed the spectrum paid tribute to the medieval ruler, listening to the nationalist anthem and a 21-gun salute.

“Today, we Europeans are learning to work past with a tendency to beryllium not lone to our homeland, but besides to the civilization that unites america crossed the full European continent,” Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said.

“That is wherefore Europe indispensable not reopen aged wounds but indispensable enactment for bid arsenic the ultimate good,” Radev continued, referring to the centuries-old rivalry betwixt neighbouring Greece and Bulgaria.

Crowds cheered arsenic combatant jets performed a flypast.

Martin Nestorov, a 42-year-old bundle engineer, told the AFP quality bureau helium attended the ceremonial “to invited Czar Samuel backmost to Bulgaria, wherever helium belongs”.

“I americium present due to the fact that I americium Bulgarian, and a Bulgarian is returning to his homeland,” added Tsanka Zlatkova, 65, a retired creation historian.

A procession brought the remains to beryllium laid successful the Church of Saint Sofia, a sixth-century basilica that is the capital’s namesake and wherever religion officials accidental Samuel was baptised.

The remains of medieval ruler Czar Samuel wrong a coffin Saturday, October 3, 2026 [Giannis Papanikos/AP]

Competing claims

The handover of Samuel’s remains is portion of a broader accord betwixt the Greek and Bulgarian civilization ministers.

In exchange, Greece is slated to person 48 objects that Bulgarian troops pillaged from churches and monasteries successful Greece during World War I.

Speaking earlier the handover, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said helium hoped the ceremonial would boost Greece’s campaign to repatriate the Parthenon Marbles, a postulation of 2,500-year-old marble sculptures taken from the Acropolis successful Athens and aboriginal displayed successful the British Museum.

“The planetary assemblage is fundamentally re-evaluating its longstanding stance connected protecting taste heritage,” Mitsotakis said, adding that humanities heirlooms “cannot beryllium treated arsenic the spoils of war”.

Bulgaria is not the lone state to person claims connected Samuel. A immense statue of the czar stands successful the North Macedonian superior of Skopje, with Macedonians claiming him arsenic “their” ruler.

In 2022, a bilateral committee recommended presenting Samuel arsenic the caput of a authorities that “most modern historiographers see to beryllium the Bulgarian Empire”, based successful what is presently North Macedonia.