Police in Kalavryta arrested the abbot of Spilaio Monastery along with his assistant, after receiving information that he was preparing to sell Byzantine icons and two 18th-century Gospels.

According to reports, the clergyman had requested €200,000 for a total of 17 Byzantine icons and the two Gospels, dated 1737 and 1761.

Sources indicate that at least one of the icons the abbot intended to sell had been stolen from Sparta.

The arrests came after a sting operation by the Hellenic Police, during which a female undercover officer posed as an interested buyer of the icons.

Following the operation, the Ministry of Culture is now examining the artifacts to verify their authenticity and assess their value.