Nine religious monuments of Maronites, Armenians and Latins restored in northern Cyprus

To date, nine religious monuments belonging to the Maronite, Armenian and Latin communities have been restored or rehabilitated in the occupied areas of Cyprus.

As reported by Sotos Ktoris, co-chair of the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage, work was carried out on six Maronite monuments, one Armenian monument and two Latin monuments.

The restored sites include the Church of Saint Anne in medieval Famagusta, the churches of Saint Marina and Saint Theodore in Kormakitis, the Church of Saint Marina in Ayia Marina Skyllouras, the Church of the Holy Cross in Karpasia, the Church of Archangel Michael in Asomatos and the Church of Saint George in Kormakitis.

The Armenian church in medieval Famagusta and two Latin churches — the Church of Saint George of the Latins and the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Famagusta — were also restored.

In addition, the restoration of the Armenian Monastery in Halevka, at the foot of the Pentadaktylos mountain range, is planned.

Historian and archaeologist Anna Marangou noted that the religious monuments of the Armenians, Maronites and Latins are an important part of Cyprus’s centuries-old history.

According to her, medieval Famagusta was an example of a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional city, where Orthodox, Frankish, Armenian, Maronite and other communities coexisted.

She stressed that many historical monuments in Lefkosia and Famagusta deserve to be included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.