Europa Nostra receives the Empress Theophano Prize 2025 at a Ceremony in Thessaloniki’s Rotunda, Greece
On the evening of 6 November, under the awe-inspiring dome of the ancient Rotunda of Thessaloniki, Greece, the Empress Theophano Prize 2025 was awarded to Europa Nostra in recognition of its 60-year commitment to protecting and promoting European cultural heritage as a crucial pillar of unity, identity and sustainable development. The award ceremony, hosted by the Theophano Foundation, brought together 200 attendees, including many prominent figures, from across Europe to celebrate the unifying power of culture and heritage.
The Empress Theophano Prize 2025 was presented by H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Constantine An. Tassoulas, to Europa Nostra’s Executive President, Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger, and Secretary General, Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović.
In an evening filled with reflection, music and symbolism, the historic monument — standing for over 2,000 years at the crossroads of civilizations — became a powerful stage for a dialogue between past and present.
Honouring a Champion of Europe’s Cultural Heritage
The Empress Theophano Prize 2025 recognises Europa Nostra’s six decades of dedication to preserving and promoting Europe’s shared cultural heritage and to building bridges among nations and peoples through the protection of monuments, landscapes, traditions and memories.
“This year’s prize focuses on the key role of cultural heritage across Europe. We live in a time of turbulence, a time we urgently need to deepen the conversation regarding our common heritage. The prize awarded to Europa Nostra transcends the individual, the local, the national, and makes us aware that we are part of a greater whole, of a European heritage, in latin ‘Europa Nostra’ (Our Europe)”, said Stavros Andreadis, Chairman of the Governing Council of the Theophano Foundation, in his welcome speech.
In his speech, Europa Nostra’s Executive President Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger, stated: “This prize, though given to Europa Nostra, truly belongs to all who care for Europe’s cultural soul. To the artisans who restore broken mosaics, the conservators who work in silence and patience, the volunteers who protect their village monuments, the teachers who make history come alive, and the young people who bring new meaning to old places. To them — and to all who believe that beauty, truth, and memory still matter — is this award dedicated, too”.
In her speech, Europa Nostra’s Secretary General Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović expressed gratitude for the honour and emphasised the fundamental value of championing our shared cultural heritage:
“Today, when Europe is again facing the demons of the past, this core mission of Europa Nostra is needed more than ever. Let us celebrate – through the safeguard of our cultural heritage – the very motto of the European Union: its ‘unity in diversity’! In varietate CONCORDIA! Let us affirm together – Europa Nostra and the Theophano Foundation – that our shared cultural heritage is not a mere ornament, but a fundament of our common European House”, Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović said.
Europa Nostra’s President Cecilia Bartoli expressed pride on behalf of Europa Nostra receiving the award via a video message, highlighting the hard work and dedication of those who have been passionately involved in the organisation’s mission for the past six decades.
A Ceremony of Dialogue and Reflection
The event brought together representatives of European institutions, cultural organisations, academic leaders, and members of civil society. The gathering was attended by high-level guests such as Herman Van Rompuy, Honorary President of the European Council, former Prime Minister of Belgium and Chairman of the Theophano Foundation’s Advisory Council, former President of Finland Tarja Halonen, former President of Ireland Mary McAleese, former Ambassador of England to the European Union Sir Ivan Rogers, and former Minister of Interior of Spain Maria Luisa Poncela.
The evening concluded with music from seven composers and seven countries, celebrating the diversity of European cultural heritage — performed by musicians from nine European countries beneath the Rotunda’s mosaics, led by Marshall Marcus, European Union Youth Orchestra Executive and Artistic Director.
The Empress Theophano Prize
The Empress Theophano Prize, established by the Theophano Foundation, is awarded annually to individuals or organisations that make an exceptional contribution to bridging human divides through culture, education, and understanding. Past recipients of the Empress Theophano Prize, which launched in 2020, include the European Commission’s Erasmus Programme, the scientists Dr. Uğur Şahin and Dr. Özlem Türeci who developed the first vaccine against the coronavirus, the conductor Daniel Barenboim and his initiative West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, the UN and its Secretary-General António Guterres, and the Special Olympics.
A Symbolic Setting: The Rotunda of Thessaloniki
The Rotunda, a UNESCO World Heritage site, offered a profoundly symbolic backdrop for the 2025 ceremony. Once a Roman temple, later a Byzantine church, then an Ottoman mosque, and today a monument of world heritage, it represents the coexistence of cultures that defines Europe’s history.
About the Theophano Foundation
The purpose of the Theophano Foundation, launched in 2019, is to promote those human values which characterise Europe and to honour exceptional examples of these values in action. In doing so, its aim is also to underline and build upon the powerful historical resonance of Eastern European culture in shaping and living these values, be it in statecraft, education, religious tolerance, scientific progress or artistic and sporting endeavour.
More information on the Theophano Foundation website
Highlights video of the ceremony
Full video recording of the ceremony
Full press release
Speeches
