The Galloway Viking Hoard is returning to the region – seven years after it was first unearthed.
Kirkcudbright Galleries is to host an exhibition of the precious finds from 2021 until spring 2022.
Their much-anticipated arrival has been agreed between the council and the National Museums of Scotland (NMS).
The £2m treasure had been due to go on display in the galleries later this month but the show was delayed.
Communities committee chairperson Andy Ferguson is delighted the collection is coming back to the region.
He said: “I have been lucky enough to have seen the Galloway hoard soon after its discovery and I know first-hand how beautiful it is.
“I am very excited that in working in partnership with NMS, our council is able to bring the hoard to the people of Dumfries and Galloway in what will be an inspiring, free exhibition for all ages.”
The collection of Viking and early Christian gold and silver was discovered by a metal detectorist Derek McLennan on church land in Dumfries and Galloway in September 2014. in the Ken-Dee glen in September 2014.
The treasure also included a bronze Carolingian pot filled with silver Anglo-Saxon disc brooches, a gold ingot and Byzantium silk.
NMS experts have been painstakingly cleaning and conserving the 100-plus items and many are ready for public viewing.
The hoard will go on display at the National Museums of Scotland in Edinburgh first before coming to Kirkcudbright Galleries.
Galloway and West Dumfries MSP Finlay Carson Galloway welcomed the news.
He said: “I received a lot of correspondence at the time from people calling for the treasure to be put on display here.
“So it is satisfying to know this is now going to happen and will hopefully attract a wider audience which will be good for the local economy.”
