Greece and Saudi Arabia took a significant step in strengthening cultural ties with the first meeting of the Joint Cultural Committee in Jeddah. Culture Ministers Lina Mendoni and Prince Badr bin Abdullah focused on upcoming projects, including a major 2026 exhibition and collaboration on heritage sites and museums, deepening their bilateral partnership under the Saudi-Hellenic Strategic Council.
Tag: Lina Mendoni
Greece celebrated the return of three Parthenon sculpture fragments from the Vatican Museums, intensifying its 40-year campaign to reclaim the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum. The repatriation, marked by a ceremony led by Culture Minister Lina Mendoni, adds pressure on the UK to negotiate, with Greece offering to loan artefacts in exchange.
A portrait of Anna Panagiotarea, an associate of Greece’s Culture Minister, displayed at the National Gallery’s Panayiotis Tetsis retrospective, has sparked debate. Critic Despina Koutsoumba questioned its inclusion, alleging personal promotion, while the exhibition showcases 160 works celebrating Tetsis’ vibrant legacy. The controversy highlights tensions between art and politics in Greece.
In a historic agreement, 76 Greek Jewish artifacts will return to the Jewish Museum of Greece from Poland’s Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw by 2025. Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni, meeting with Polish counterpart Hanna Wróblewska, hailed the move as a duty to preserve historical memory for Greece’s Jewish communities. The deal, solidified during the EU Culture Ministers’ Informal Council, also strengthens Greco-Polish cultural ties, with Mendoni advocating for the Parthenon Sculptures’ reunification in Athens—a cause Poland staunchly supports.
The Hellenic Ministry of Culture is advancing the restoration and enhancement of the Agora complex…
Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni honored the 53,000 Greek Jews killed in Auschwitz during a visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum on April 07, 2025. Laying wreaths at the Black Wall and the Greek Jewish Memorial, she reflected, ‘This place of martyrdom teaches us to never repeat humanity’s tragic mistakes.’ Mendoni emphasized the enduring need to uphold democratic values in memory of the victims.
The historic Hamza Bey Mosque, known as the Alcazar, is set to reclaim its grandeur in Thessaloniki by mid-2026, Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni announced during a site visit on Monday. With €11 million from the Recovery and Resilience Fund, the restoration of this 15th-century landmark—the city’s oldest Islamic house of prayer—is advancing rapidly, promising to enhance Thessaloniki’s cultural and economic landscape.
An ancient bronze griffin head, stolen nearly a century ago, was repatriated to Greece from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art on March 21, 2025. Now displayed at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia
In a shocking development, Greece’s Ministry of Culture has suspended a night guard at the Serres Antiquities Ephorate, for his alleged role in an antiquities looting network. Accused of guiding criminals to valuable archaeological sites, The guard was among those arrested this week in northern Greece as part of a broader crackdown on illegal excavations. Culture Minister Lina Mendoni acted swiftly, enforcing a zero-tolerance policy to protect the nation’s heritage.
Greece’s National Archaeological Museum and Epigraphic Museum are set for a transformative upgrade, with the Museums Council approving a visionary preliminary study. Located in central Athens, these iconic institutions will see new exhibitions and expansions guided by the Chipperfield-Tombazis design, funded by a €40 million donation from Spiros and Dorothy Latsis. Culture Minister Lina Mendoni hailed the project as a modern celebration of ancient Greek creativity and heritage, spanning 7,000 years of history.
English archaeologist Alice Roberts has called for the permanent return of the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece, likening their removal to cutting the Mona Lisa in half and comparing their significance to Stonehenge’s for England. Speaking on Times Radio, Roberts noted a shifting British sentiment following her meeting with Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni.
The National Gallery in Athens closed temporarily after far-right MP Nikolaos Papadopoulos attacked artworks on March 10, 2025, sparking a debate on religion and free expression. Arrested for vandalism, Papadopoulos claimed the exhibits insulted Orthodoxy, while the gallery and critics defend artistic freedom, with restoration efforts underway amid societal division.
Prominent British anthropologist and TV presenter Professor Alice Roberts has voiced her support for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece. Speaking while filming her new documentary Ancient Greece by Train, Roberts echoed Greek Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni’s call for repatriation, stating that the sculptures belong back in Athens. She emphasised the need to acknowledge historical injustices linked to colonial-era acquisitions, comparing the situation to how Britain might feel if pieces of Stonehenge were held abroad. The long-standing dispute over the Parthenon sculptures remains unresolved, though recent discussions signal progress.
A far-right Greek MP, Nikolaos Papadopoulos of the Victory party, has been arrested after storming the National Gallery in Athens and vandalising exhibits he claimed were blasphemous. Witnesses say he smashed protective glass and attempted to seize paintings before being stopped by security. The incident has sparked outrage, with opposition parties condemning it as an attack on artistic freedom and democracy.
Radical changes are expected in the Greek government lineup following the no-confidence motion debate, with at least 10 deputy ministers set to be removed and key figures like Adonis Georgiadis and Kostis Hatzidakis shifting roles. Meanwhile, the government demands the expulsion of SYRIZA MP Andreas Panagiotopoulos for his inflammatory remarks against Prime Minister Mitsotakis and PASOK leader Androulakis, accusing him of fostering toxicity and undermining democracy.
The Ministry of Culture has clarified that Minister Lina Mendoni does not have a personal social media account, warning about a fake profile on “X” under the name “Λίνα Μενδώνη Lina Mendoni” (@MendoniL). The Electronic Crime Prosecution Directorate is investigating.
The National Museum of Underwater Antiquities in Piraeus is set to open in 2026, showcasing Greece’s rich maritime heritage through archaeological treasures found at the bottom of the sea. In conjunction with its opening, a call for the design of the 2026 Charm has been issued, inspired by underwater archaeology and Greek cultural history.
Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni is visiting Israel and Palestine to assess Byzantine monuments in need of urgent protection and restoration. During her visit, she will meet with religious and government officials in Jerusalem and Ramallah, focusing on safeguarding cultural heritage sites under the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Her itinerary includes visits to key historical locations, such as St. Stephen’s Monastery and Yad Vashem, highlighting Greece’s commitment to preserving Byzantine heritage in the region.
Greece’s Culture Minister Lina Mendoni attended a ceremony at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) in New York, marking the return of a 7th-century BCE bronze griffin head to Greece. Research revealed the artifact had been removed from the Archaeological Museum of Olympia in the 1930s under illegitimate circumstances. The repatriation is part of the MET’s Cultural Property Initiative, which strengthens provenance research and international collaboration. The griffin is expected to return to New York on loan for a special exhibition in 2026, further solidifying ties between Greece and the MET.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. has returned 11 antiquities valued at nearly $1 million to Greece. The artifacts, seized during investigations into antiquities trafficking, including a probe into convicted London-based trafficker Robin Symes, were handed over at a repatriation ceremony with Greece’s Minister of Culture Dr. Lina Mendoni. This latest action is part of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit’s broader effort, which has recovered over 2,225 stolen items valued at $250 million during Bragg’s tenure.