Lebanon returns two stolen 18th-century icons to Greece

·

AFP

Lebanon handed back two 18th-century religious icons of Jesus and Mary to Greece on Tuesday after they were seized during an auction, a judicial source said.

The paintings were stolen from an exhibition in Athens in 2016, and Greece put out an international notice calling for their return.

Icons are Christian religious paintings, often of saints, and are viewed as sacred.

Lebanon has launched an investigation, but it is not clear who stole them, or how they were brought to the country.

“The person who bought the paintings at the auction in Lebanon was questioned,” the source said, adding that the buyer was about to ship them to Germany “to sell them on at an international auction there.”

The paintings were handed to the Greek ambassador in Beirut.

Greece has retrieved several other religious icons worth thousands of dollars in recent years.

In 2011, Greek officials blocked the sale of a dozen religious icons by two art galleries in Britain and the Netherlands after finding the items had been stolen years before.

The icons, which dated from before the 18th century and could have each fetched from $7,000 to $21,000, were stolen from unguarded monasteries and churches in the sparsely-populated Epirus region of northwestern Greece.

In 2008, Britain returned to Greece a 14th-century icon stolen from a Greek Orthodox monastery 30 years earlier, and found in the hands of a London-based collector.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Faith, family and football: The making of Nectarios Triantis

Growing up in a bustling Greek Australian household in Sydney, footballer Nectarios Triantis was never far from a football - or chaos.

Bella Spasis’ big deal: Live music in Victoria set to thrive

Greek-Victorian bar owner, Isabella (Bella) Spasis, hosted a remarkable event at her venue, ‘The Dog’s Bar’ early on Sunday morning, July 6.

GOCNSW Home for the Aged welcomes Consul General and celebrates its donors

The Greek Orthodox Community Home for the Aged played host to the Consul General of Greece in Sydney and some of its major donors.

Father Athanasios Giatsios appointed Orthodox Chaplain at Macquarie University

Father Athanasios Giatsios has been appointed as the new Orthodox Chaplain at Macquarie University. Read more here.

Spiro Pappas honoured at Emirates Business Awards 2025 for Sustainable Innovation

Entrepreneur Spiro Pappas, Founder and CEO of Eureka-Tec, was honoured at the Emirates Business Awards 2025.

You May Also Like

South Melbourne FC legend Takis Xanthopoulos passes away

South Melbourne FC legend, Championship Winner and Hall of Fame Member Takis Xanthopoulos has passed away today.

Archbishop Makarios of Australia visits offices of Greek Orthodox Community of NSW for first time

Archbishop Makarios of Australia visited the offices of the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW (GOCNSW) in Lakemba, Sydney for the first time.

Panarcadian Association of Melbourne celebrates milestone 65th anniversary

The Panarcadian Association of Melbourne celebrated its 65th anniversary and also commemorated the Liberation of Tripolitsa in 1821.