The Vatican is returning to Greece three fragments taken from the Parthenon, the Holy See announced on Tuesday.

The relevant certificate was signed at a ceremony in the Vatican Museums on Tuesday, attended by Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, a representative of Athens Archbishop Ieronymos II and Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni.

The fragments, which are expected to arrive in Athens on March 24, have been held in the papal collections since the 19th century and were on display in the Vatican Museums.

Pope Francis announced his decision to return the artifacts in December 2022.

Greece has for decades demanded the return of the Elgin Marbles, large sections of the Parthenon frieze that have been in the possession of the British Museum in London since 1816.

In 2009, Greece built a new museum to house parts of the frieze in both original and in plaster copy for the missing elements.

The Parthenon, Virgin’s Chambers, is one of the most famous ruins of Ancient Greece.

Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire at the time, had the best preserved sections removed and taken to Britain at the start of the 19th century, selling them to the British Museum in 1816.

56 of the 96 sections of the frieze are in London.

(dpa/NAN)