A 19th-century religious icon depicting the baptism of Christ, along with eleven other icons stolen in 2005 from the Dormition of Our Lady Visokos Church in Kalouta, in the central Zagori district on Ioannina Island, was recently repatriated to Greece from the United Kingdom.
As announced by the Greek Ministry of Culture, the twelve icons were returned on July 31, after Greek and British authorities cooperated with their repatriation, with the help of the Greek Embassy in London.
“The Baptism Icon was found in June 2017 by an archaeologist working for the Directorate for the Verification and Protection of Cultural Assets, on sale at a London gallery,” reads the Ministry’s statement.
“Following the immediate mobilization and close cooperation of the relevant services, with the support of the Greek Embassy in London, the icon was removed from the list of works for sale,” the statement read.
