Medieval ruler Tsar Samuel’s remains return home to Bulgaria after 60 years
Czar Samuel’s bones are flown back to Sofia after 60 years in Greece, as both countries seal a deal to exchange historic religious relics.
The remains of Czar Samuel, a medieval Bulgarian ruler, were flown to Sofia on Saturday under a military flypast. Honour guards then carried the coffin in a state procession to the Church of St Sophia, where crowds queued to pay their respects.
Samuel spent his reign fighting the Byzantine Empire to expand his kingdom, and he died in 1014. His bones were found in a Greek border area 60 years ago, and Bulgaria has negotiated with Athens for decades to bring them home.
Saturday's handover follows an agreement this week between the Bulgarian and Greek culture ministers. Under it, Bulgaria will give back religious relics taken from Greek monasteries during the First World War.
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