The Ancient Monuments - Churches of Saints Sun Lights, Saints Barnabas and Hilarion and Saint Cassianos were visited today by the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Mr. Yiannis Karousos, accompanied by the Director Dr. Marina Solomidou - Ieronymidou and officials of the Department of Antiquities. During his visits, Mr. Karousos had the opportunity to inspect the works that have either been completed or are in progress and aim to highlight the cultural value of our ecclesiastical monuments.
As Mr. Karousos stressed, "we must protect and highlight our ecclesiastical monuments as an integral part of our culture and history. The protection and preservation of our cultural heritage is a debt to future generations and the preservation of religiosity as a characteristic of Hellenism."
The Church dates back to the 18th century and is located in the abandoned Turkish Cypriot village of Agioi Iliofoti in Nicosia District. The church was erected in front of a tomb, which today forms part of its western part. The tomb is believed to belong to the Alamanian monks who lived in the area in the 7th century and were known as Agii Iliofloti. In 2003, the church was declared a Schedule II Ancient Monument. In 2020, the restoration of the roof of the Church was completed with the installation of Byzantine tiles and the archontario (floor, masonry, etc.). The total cost of the works amounted to €33,022.91.
The original phase of the Church dates back to the 12th century and was built on the ruins of an older church of the 7th century.
The original phase of the Church dates back to the 12th century and was built on the ruins of an older church of the 7th century. The church today consists of several later additions. It belongs to the type of a three-aisled arched basilica with five domes and is one of the two five-towered churches in Cyprus. Important frescoes of the 12th and 15th centuries are preserved in the Church.
At the present stage, the Department of Antiquities is carrying out work on the Monument to remove and restore the buttress on the north side of the Church, remove and install a new pebble floor around the Church, work to manage the rising damp and drainage of rainwater and some work on the floor of the Sanctuary.
The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works has approved the coverage of the amount of €65,000 attributable to the Church Committee.
In addition, during the period 2021-2022, the Department of Antiquities completed the maintenance and restoration works of the small one-room chapel of St. Anthony, also located in the Community of Peristerona. Comprehensive conservation/restoration works have been carried out on the monument internally, externally, as well as landscaping of the courtyard area. Due to serious structural problems faced by the Monument, the Department of Antiquities proceeded with the dismantling and complete restoration of the roof. The total cost for the completion of the project amounted to €112,290 and was fully subsidized by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works. The north aisle was erected in the mid-18th century, as its architectural features testify, while the south aisle was added in the 19th century. The iconostasis of the church is dated by an inscription to 1870 and the church contains several important icons of the 13th, 15th and 16th centuries, most of which are now kept in the Byzantine Museum of the Makarios III Foundation. The Church also owns the silver jewelled helmet which, according to tradition, belonged to Saint Cassianos. The Church is located in its northeastern part within the walls of Nicosia and was declared an Ancient Monument of the Second Schedule in 1971. Today the area is marginal and the outbuildings of the Church to the west are adjacent to the Green Line.
In the summer of 2022, the Department of Antiquities carried out works to upgrade the electrical installation of the Church, install air conditioning and landscaping and lighting of the courtyard. The total cost for the works, amounting to €30,062, was approved by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works and was covered by an appropriation from the Department of Antiquities.
(ΘΓ/ΝΓ)
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