Following an order from Pope Francis, the Vatican Museums finalized an agreement with Greece to repatriate three fragments of Parthenon sculptures from its collection.
The three pieces, including one representing a horse's head, another of a man with a beard and the third of a boy, have been kept in the museum since the 19th century. With a transport agreement now in place, the artifacts will arrive in Greece later this month, where a reception ceremony is scheduled for March 24.
But rather than a state-to-state transfer, the Vatican designated the handover as a "donation" to the Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church, Ieronymos II. In a December statement, the museum called the move "a concrete sign of [Francis's] sincere desire to follow the ecumenical path of truth."
"This initiative helps to heal the wounds of the past and demonstrates that when Christian leaders work together, they can solve problems in practical ways," church envoy Father Emmanuel Papamikroulis told the AP. “It came at a difficult time for our country and hopefully will provide some sense of pride and happiness. I hope this initiative will be followed by others.”
The move marks the rare example of a Western institution responding to Greece's requests for restitution. The British Museum, which has retained about half of the surviving Parthenon Marbles since 1816, has so far refused to return the objects.
Although the UK and Greek governments have been in talks recently, a repatriation deal appears to be some way off. The UK put forward the idea of a long-term loan, which Greece rejected; in February, the parties discussed a “hybrid” agreement regarding ownership of the marbles – an agreement that was met with skepticism by the Greeks.
The 2,500-year-old carvings represent the remains of a 525-foot frieze that surrounded the exterior of the Parthenon on the Acropolis, dedicated during the 5th century BC. The temple was extensively looted in the 19th century - most notably by the 7th Earl of Elgin, who sold his loot to the British Museum in 1816.
In 2009, Greece opened the Acropolis Museum, with a Parthenon Gallery intended to display all surviving marbles, largely to solicit the repatriation of the artifacts. The British Museum, however, remained immobile.
“We hear the voices calling for restitution,” said George Osbourne, president of the British museum, in November. “But creating this global British Museum was the dedicated work of many generations. Dismantling it must not become a careless act of a single generation.”