Germany has officially handed over to Poland a unique 14th-century relic — a fragment of a medieval sculpture lost in the post-war years — the head of Saint James the Greater. For Poland, the apostle James is one of the most venerated saints, the patron of pilgrims and a symbol of the spiritual path.

The head of the Polish Ministry of Culture, Marta Cienkowska, noted that receiving this part of the sculpture is extremely important both for national history and for the Christian tradition. According to her, the returned artefact restores a connection with a key element of the country’s spiritual heritage.

In addition to the relic, Germany handed over 73 archival documents from the 13th–15th centuries that had been taken during the war. The Polish Ministry of Culture emphasised that this is “the most substantial and significant return of lost cultural monuments in the country’s modern history.”

The handover agreement was signed by the culture ministers of both countries in the presence of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Warsaw described the event as historic and expressed hope for the future return of other lost relics.