Ten valuable Byzantine icons stolen from the villages of Koukouli Zagoriou in Giannena and Samarina of Grevena, Northern Greece, were discovered in auctions in Amsterdam and London and will be returned to Greece. The stolen icons were spotted by a Greek collector who recognized them in the Temple Gallery catalogue.
Six other stolen icons had been discovered four months ago. Owners of the Temple Gallery in London revealed that a 40-year-old businessman from the tourism industry in Trikala had sold them the icons, assuring them that the icons belonged to his family. They also claimed that this was not the first time they had bought icons from him, though they had never faced problems with the previous items.
After the British newspaper Guardian published an article about the stolen icons, the Gallery has decided to examine the origin of 30 additional Byzantine icons they have collected.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
