Pope Francis made a historic reparation, returning three fragments of the Parthenon, one of the most important monuments of ancient Greek civilization, to the Acropolis Museum. This Friday the 24th, in a ceremony, the fragments that were in the Vatican Museums were brought to the gallery of the Acropolis Museum, which offers a panoramic view of what was built in the 5th century BC. B.C. erected monument was erected
The Pope’s decision was announced in December last year and was considered heroic. The fragments had been in the Vatican’s possession for over two centuries. “I wish that others would emulate him,” said Greece’s spiritual leader, Archbishop Ieronymos II, during the ceremony.
The three marble fragments come from different areas of the Parthenon and represent a boy’s head, a horse’s head and a bearded man’s head. They have now returned to their place of origin where they were carved.
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Historians believe that the fragment of the boy’s head represents his participation in a procession commemorating the founding of Athens. The fragment of a horse’s head is part of a sculpture with four other horses pulling the mythical chariot of Athena. The male head comes from an area of the monument depicting a battle between the Lapiths, a mythical group of humans, and centaurs part equine, part human creatures.
Museum employees wore gloves to handle the relics. According to the British newspaper The Guardian, some of those present became emotional and cried when the fragment of the male head with a beard was placed between the panels. A minute’s silence was followed by applause.
“The Pope has set a global example,” confirmed Professor Nikos Stampolidis, director of the Acropolis Museum, in an interview with The Guardian. Stampolidis believes that the Pope’s decision as head of the Catholic Church rather than as leader of the Vatican will increase the positive impact of the action.
British Museum refuses to return fragments
Greek authorities believe the Vatican’s move will increase pressure on London to return the Parthenon marbles to Greece.
However, the British government has been reluctant to return the fragments to Greece, again ruling out the possibility in January of that year. According to German portal DW, the Prime Minister of the UK Conservative Party, Rishi Sunak, dampened hopes on the issue in March when he said marbles were a “big win” for the UK. “We share their treasures with the world and the world comes to Britain to see them. The British Museum collection is protected by law and we have no plans to change it.”
In its defence, London argues that the sculptures were taken with permission from the Ottoman Turks who then ruled Greece, but Athens insists they were stolen.
At the British Museum, the marbles have been the focus of the collection since 1832 and make up about half of the surviving fragments of the Parthenon.
How were the fragments stolen from Greece?
In the early 1800s, workers removed entire friezes from the monument on orders from Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in Constantinople, who controlled Athens until 1832. His team began removing it from the Acropolis in 1801 and later selling it to the British government, along with hundreds of other ancient objects.
In 1817 the British government transferred the marbles to the British Museum, where they remain one of the most valuable exhibits to this day.
Greece has been trying to recover the fragments since the early 20th century.