The ‘Fagan Fragment’ has been permanently restored to its rightful place within the eastern frieze of the Parthenon during a ceremony at the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece on Saturday.
The fragment was returned to Greece earlier this year from the Antonino Salinas Regional Archaeology Museum in Palermo as part of a four-year, once-renewable loan deal.
At the time, the museum said the ultimate aim was the “indefinite return” of the fragment to Athens.
Now, according to the Greek Ministry of Culture, the fragment will stay indefinitely in the Acropolis museum as a result of “fruitful dialogue” between the regional government of Sicily and the Greek Ministry.
During the ceremony on Saturday, Greece’s Culture Minister said the return of the fragment showed a “clear and moral path for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures” held at the British Museum in London, adding that it was a historic start.
In a message read out at the event, Italian Minister of Culture, Dario Franceschini, added that “Italy is at the forefront of the practical confirmation of the principle of the return of cultural goods, with the aim of restoring the historical cultural heritage to their places and peoples.”
The Director of the Acropolis Museum, Nikolaos Stampolidis, was also present at the ceremony and stressed that Italy’s actions show the path others can follow to restore a monument “that is a symbol of world culture… a restoration of history and democracy.”
Source: AMNA.gr.
