The Fagan fragment is permanently returned to the Acropolis Museum

The final reunion of the “Fagan fragment” from the A. Salinas Museum in Palermo to the eastern frieze of the Parthenon at the Acropolis Museum is now a fact. With a moving event, which took place last night in the hall of the Parthenon, in the presence ofMinister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoniof the general Director of the Acropolis Museum, Professor Nikolaos Stampolidis and Chairman of the Board Dimitris Pantermalisas well as Italian high-ranking guests, completed the “journey” of the final reunion of the fragment where it will remain forever: in the eastern frieze of the Parthenon from which it had been removed.

«The process followed by the Government of Sicily and the Ministry of Culture of the Italian Republic for the final repatriation of the Fagan fragment shows the clear and moral path to the return of the Parthenon SculpturesHe said the Minister of Culture and Sports, Lina Mendoni, shortly before the final placement of the fragment in the frieze of the Parthenon. Describing yesterday as “historic”, Ms. Mendoni noted: “Today is the beginning, a beginning of historical proportions. Today completes an effort that was discussed at times in the past and always ended in a dead end. This effort took a substantial and concrete form in January 2022, when after many months of friendly consultations an agreement was reached between the Autonomous Government of Sicily and the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Hellenic Republic, so the Fagan fragment was deposited in the Acropolis Museum to regulate by the Ministry of Culture of the Italian Republic to allow the permanent return of the sculpture to Athens», stressed the Minister of Culture.

«Today is a big day for the Acropolis Museum because this event completes the adventure of a great piece from the eastern frieze of the Parthenon. Years ago we started with a small sample from Heidelberg, now the next big step is being taken to restore the Parthenon… Our Italian colleagues have paved a path that is not easy, but it is very substantial. A road that can be a model for the behavior of those who still own parts of the Parthenon. I hope after this second big step, to follow the third which will be maximum», said the chairman of the Acropolis Museum, Dimitris Pantermalis.

«The Fagan fragment is no longer an orphan, a sample of a cut, a fragmentation. Because the Parthenon is not a corpus Christi, which was dismembered as you receive. It is a body that demands its union, a request of the world community “, said the general director of the Acropolis Museum, Professor Nikolaos Stampolidis. “The final return and reunification of the Sicilian party is of paramount importance as we all know that the beginning is half of everything. It is the first reunion in the Parthenon attributed from state to state, thus indicating the path that remains to be followed from elsewhere, mainly from the United Kingdom, contributing to the restoration of the monument, a symbol of world culture, the Parthenon, the restoration of history and democracy», added N. Stampolidis.

«I consider it very important at the moment because cultural goods as constituent elements of individual and collective expression are a unique imprint and an indisputable element of the cultural and cultural identity of peoples. Especially the antiquities, apart from their cultural imprint material, have a more important intangible cultural burden and for this reason it is important that they coexist in the place of their creation… I am sure that today is a station for our cooperation that in the future will be even closer“, He stated in Greek the General Director of Museums of Italy, Massimo Osana.

«Having finally reconnected with the other fragments from the same plate, the sixth from the eastern frieze of the Parthenon, from where it was removed under circumstances that still remain unclear and under detailed study, the fragment fully proves all its immortal beauty… Small one can say, but in it one reads all the originality and wisdom of Pheidias’s ingenuity, his ability to attribute to the marble the softness of the skin and the lightness of the fabric – in short, the naturalness of existence“, Noted the Director of the Regional Archaeological Museum “Antonino Salinas” of Palermo Katerina Grecowhich played an important role in the issue of the return of the fragment.

Greeting, via videotaped video, was also addressed by Regional Councilor for Cultural Heritage and Sicilian Identity, Alberto Samona, one of the protagonists of this comeback. «It was an indescribable emotion that we felt when in January, when we accompanied the Palermo fragment in Athens, we saw what was previously a single piece joining its parent work of art. The fact that Sicily wanted to follow this path is part of the vision of a new Europe, one in which we believe: a Europe of peoples, culture and identity rooted in its history and millennial traditions.“, Stated A. Samonas.

«It is my pleasure to celebrate with my Greek friends and the Region of Sicily the permanent return of the Fagan fragment to Athens. Italy is at the forefront of practical confirmation of the principle of the return of cultural property with a view to restoring its historical cultural heritage to its places and peoples of origin. In this case the cultural property was legally in Italy but we wanted to send a strong message of friendship and closeness to Greece“, Said the Minister of Culture of Italy, Dario Francescini, in his greeting, which was read by Mr. Stampolidis.

The so-called “Fagan fragment”, the part of the plate that belongs to the eastern frieze of the Parthenon and represents the foot of Artemis, goddess of hunting, sitting on a throne, ended up in the early 19th century in the hands of the English consul Robert Fagan not fully understood. After his death he bequeathed it to his wife, who then sold it, between 1818 and 1820, to the Royal Museum of the University of Palermo, whose current successor is the Regional Archaeological Museum “Antonino Salinas”. As of last January, the fragment is already in the Acropolis Museum in Athens, where during a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, it was reconnected with the original frieze from which it had been removed..