Press Releases

It is with feelings of joy and heightened emotion that I stand here before you today at this event organized on the occasion of the handing over of four invaluable fragments belonging to the common cultural heritage of Cyprus. It is by now a widely accepted notion that cultural heritage constitutes a priceless and irreplaceable inheritance, not only of each nation, but also of humanity as a whole.

The loss, through theft, clandestine excavations, illicit transfer or trade, of any part of this common heritage constitutes an impoverishment of the identity and history of all nations and peoples and infringes upon the fundamental human rights to culture and development.

The cultural goods that are being handed over today consist of four fragments of a much larger puzzle that is our looted and stolen cultural heritage. Today we are here to receive four precious wall-painting fragments, which were forcibly removed from their original context, stolen and illegally exported, as a result of the 1974 Turkish invasion and subsequent occupation of Cyprus. Two of the wall-paintings date to the second half of the 12^th century and belong to the Church of the Virgin Mary (Panagia Apsinthiotissa) in Sychari village of the Kyreneia District in the occupied part of Cyprus. One depicts the Virgin Mary from the scene of the Descent from the Cross and the other shows the bust of a holy martyr. Dating to the early 12^th century, the Church of Panagia Apsinthiotissa was an important pilgrimage place. In the  second half of the 12^th century a narthex was added to the west and it was from this narthex that the two fragments were violently detached.

The other two fragments also originate from churches in the occupied areas of Cyprus and I am pleased to announce to you today that we have recently identified one of them as belonging to the Church of the Virgin Mary in the occupied village of Assia, in the Famagusta District. This 15^th century church was originally entirely adorned with wall-paintings. Until 1974, wall-paintings survived high on the east wall above the apse and depicted medallions with the busts of the Saints or prophets. As a result of the 1974 invasion and occupation, the iconostasis of the church was destroyed and the icons, the 17^th century wood-carved cross and the wall-paintings were looted. I am also pleased to add that the Church of the Virgin Mary in Assia is currently being restored by the bi-communal Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage. The fourth fragment remains unidentified but all efforts are being made to establish its exact provenance.

The true value of cultural heritage can only be appreciated in relation to the fullest possible information regarding its origin, history and traditional setting. In the words of UNESCO “it is incumbent upon every State to protect the cultural property existing within its territory against the dangers of damage, theft, clandestine excavation, and illicit export”. I would also add that it is also incumbent on each and every one of us, as individuals, to be alert and contribute towards this direction. I would at this point wish to thank the NGO Walk of Truth and its founder Ms. Tasoula Hadjitofi for her efforts towards the repatriation of these cultural objects. Walk of Truth is an independent non-profit organization built on Tasoula’s thirty years of pioneering work in the field of protecting cultural heritage and recovering and repatriating antiquities looted from Cyprus and trafficked to destinations all around the world.  I therefore wish to praise Walk of Truth for its good work and objectives and to express our willingness to support all such efforts that are in good faith and in  cooperation with the Government. 

The competent authorities of the Republic of Cyprus treat the issue of the illicit trafficking of cultural goods and the destruction of cultural heritage as a high priority. The Turkish invasion and the subsequent military occupation of more than a third of the territory of the Republic means that a large percentage of Cyprus’ cultural heritage remains inaccessible. As a result, museums, monuments and sites have been destroyed and looted and moveable antiquities have been stolen and illicitly trafficked. A large number of antiquities from Cyprus have found their way into the antiquities markets worldwide.

In recent years however, we have had some very positive developments which have been the result of close cooperation and mutual respect between countries and tireless efforts of the Department of Antiquities in collaboration with other government bodies, such as the Cyprus Police and Interpol-Nicosia, the Attorney General and Legal Services, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Customs and Excise as well as the Church of Cyprus and private institutions and individuals. One of the most important developments occurred in 2013, when the largest to date repatriation of 173 Cypriot antiquities from Munich, Germany took place.

The protection of cultural heritage and the prevention and combating of trafficking of cultural property is one of the basic elements of the mission of the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus. The Department’s specialised staff is dedicated to ensuring in numerous ways and actions that the island’s cultural heritage is protected and preserved in the best way. Furthermore, the Department participates in EU, UNESCO and other working groups and committees concerning the protection of cultural goods.

Other important developments which relate to the protection of cultural heritage include the strengthening of national and European legislation, the conclusion of bilateral agreements with third countries to impose import controls and last but not least, the appointment in 2015 of a National Committee for the Combating of Looting and the Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Heritage.

Given the opportunity, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to all those authorities, organisations and individuals who are dedicated to the protection of cultural heritage.

I would like to conclude with a wish for peace in Cyprus, hoping that we will one day see these beautiful wall-painting fragments, back in their original context.  Special thanks to the NGO Walk of Truth and its founder Tasoula Hadjitofi for her efforts that made this day happen.  I wish  every success to their ongoing efforts for protecting cultural heritage.

( DC )