Three fragments of the sculptural decoration of the Parthenon, which have been kept since the 19th century in the collections of the Vatican Museums, now officially belong to Greece after the signing of the donation protocol that took place today, in the Vatican, under the heavy shadow of the deadly train accident in Tempe. It is the sealing of the verbal agreement from last December, between Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Athens Hieronymus II, at the initiative of the former, sending a resounding, global message in favour of the return of archaeological goods to their places of origin.

It’s a significant move that some hope could pave way for other remnants of the 160-meter-long (520-foot) frieze of the Parthenon Temple on the Acropolis to be returned to Athens.

The three pieces in the Vatican museum’s collection have been there since the 19th century. Now, they’re finally making their way back to Athens after a transportation deal was finalized, said the Vatican. The marble fragments will arrive later in the month, with a ceremony planned to receive them on March 24, Associated Press reported.

One is fragment is the head of a horse that was pulling Athena’s chariot in the frieze. Another depicts the head of a young boy, believed to be taking part in a procession to commemorate the founding of Athens. The third piece is the head of a bearded male, according to the Vatican News website.

In December 2022, Pope Francis gave them to Ieronymos II, the head of the Greek Orthodox Church, “as a concrete sign of his sincere desire to follow in the ecumenical path of truth,” according to the Vatican. Similarly, in January, another fragment of the Parthenon Marbles depicting the foot of a goddess was returned to Athens by the Antonino Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum in Palermo, Sicily.

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