Two stolen icons to return to Greece
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
Two icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary painted in 1735 and 1785, respectively, were delivered to the Greek Embassy in Beirut on January 19 to be returned to Greece. The Greek culture ministry, in an announcement, said that both icons were stolen in 2006, along with other objects, from Aghia Triada church in Oxia, Karditsa where they had been cataloged and photographed by the local antiquities ephorate. The icons, classed as "despotic" or those on the altarpiece that depict Christ, the Virgin Mary or patron saints, had been posted on Interpol's wanted artworks database.
In October 2020, the two icons were located by an archaeologist working for the culture ministry's department for the verification and protection of cultural goods, during the checking of an auction list that was going to be held in Dusseldorf in November 2020.
Greece asked for Interpol's cooperation in the location, confiscation, and delivery of the icons to the Greek state. The two icons were in Lebanon and were going to be sent to Dusseldorf after the completion of the auction.
Both icons are temporarily being held at the Greek Embassy in Beirut and will soon be returned to Greece and delivered to the Aghia Triada church in Oxia were they belong, said the announcement.
Related items
-
PM Mitsotakis on weekly review: Restoring flood damage, maintaining the Olympic Stadium
-
Greek local elections: New Democracy in final stretch to win all 13 districts and 3 major municipalities
-
Global olive oil shortage sends prices soaring
-
Serious problems in Volos due to the storm - Palamas (Karditsa) on alert
-
ECONOMIST- Hatzidakis: The six axes of the economic policy of the next four years
Latest from E.Tsiliopoulos
- PM Mitsotakis on weekly review: Restoring flood damage, maintaining the Olympic Stadium
- Greek local elections: New Democracy in final stretch to win all 13 districts and 3 major municipalities
- Dead body recovered from fuselage of fallen helicopter
- Global olive oil shortage sends prices soaring
- Serious problems in Volos due to the storm - Palamas (Karditsa) on alert