A stolen icon, considered one of the finest examples of Byzantine art, was back in Greece yesterday after decades of police work, diplomacy and, finally, a key ruling by the high court in London. The recovery of the piece, believed to have been painted by a master iconographer in the 14th century and depicting the removal of Christ's body from the cross, came 30 years after it was stolen from a monastery in northern Greece.

After 30 years, Greece welcomes back stolen icon

Byzantium 330-1453

London's Royal Academy of Art 25 Oct 2008--22 Mar 2009

In the Main Galleries

This ground-breaking exhibition, a collaboration between the Royal Academy of Arts and the Benaki Museum in Athens, provides a grand-scale survey of 1,000 years of history. Highlighting the splendours of the Byzantine Empire, 'Byzantium 330-1453' incorporates over 300 objects. Some of the works have never been displayed in public before.

Splendours of the Byzantine Empire