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Portable icons, small works of art and old items further illuminate the history of Aska and its long course through the centuries, said Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, Yannis Karousos, in his address at the opening of the Aska Ecclesiastical Museum, which exhibits important ecclesiastical objects from the 14th to the 20th century.
Mr. Karousos said that "the ecclesiastical relics protected and displayed in this museum have come from two churches of the village, which are declared Ancient Monuments of Table B, according to the Law on Antiquities", to note that "both the church of Timios Stavros and the church of Agios Ioannis Prodromos, which date back to the Medieval period of Cyprus, were declared as Ancient Monuments by the Department of Antiquities in March 1971".
He explained that Gunnis Rupert, an English antiquities inspector who served in Cyprus between 1926 and 1932, during his research throughout the island, located and recorded some information about the churches in Aska.
According to Yannis Karousos, Gunnis Rupert states that the church of Timios Stavros is a medieval building, to note that the church of Agios Ioannis Prodromos must date back to the early 16th century, while it was rebuilt in 1763.
He even mentions the chapel of St. Christina, located outside the village, which dates back to 1411.
Similarly, said the Minister of Transport, George H. Everett Jefferey, Curator of Ancient Monuments of Cyprus between 1903 and 1935, an architect by profession, mentions the two churches of Askas in his book on the historic monuments of Cyprus, describing their architecture and noting that they are picturesque churches.
"Both churches are adorned with important frescoes of the Medieval period, which testify to the religiosity and deep faith of the inhabitants of Aska," he noted.
Source: CNA
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