From an elevation of approximately 750 meters, below a peak of the Pentadaktylos mountain range, the Holy Monastery of Panagia Apsinthiotissa, near Sycharis, now looks out over the Mesoria plain with a different perspective: no longer in ruins, no longer abandoned. A few kilometers further down, now on the plain, the patron saint’s church of Saint Prokopios of Sygrasi has been restored, with a mural inside the church, while crosses have been placed on the graves in the cemetery right next door, which has been cleaned up.
To date, the Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage has restored more than 210 religious monuments, both large and small, belonging to all religious groups throughout Cyprus, as well as approximately 70 cemeteries. Yesterday, Friday, the Holy Monastery of Panagia Apsinthiotissa, an impressive 12th-century building, and the Church of Saint Prokopios, dating back to the 10th century, were handed over — a time when few religious monuments had been built in Cyprus.
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Sotos Ktoris and Ali Tuncay, the co-chairs of the Technical Committee, told CNA that they are pleased with their work because these monuments “are our shared cultural heritage. It is a project not of conflict, but of cooperation and trust-building.”
When asked about the cemeteries, Mr. Tuncay said that across Cyprus there are 70 where restoration work has been completed, is nearing completion, or has begun. “There are difficulties, but we are overcoming them and moving forward.”
“The restoration of Panagia Apsinthiotissa in Sygaris and Agios Prokopios in Sygrasi reaffirm our shared commitment, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, to work together to preserve the monuments bequeathed to us by the history of this land,” said Sotos Ktoris. “This stance stems from the sense of duty we feel toward these monuments, both Muslim and Christian, and from the deep conviction that cooperation creates the conditions for fostering mutual respect and strengthening trust between the two communities.”
“We believe,” added Mr. Ktoris, “that monuments should not be viewed as symbols of discord and rivalry, but as meeting points that connect us to the past and create the prospect of a peaceful and prosperous Cyprus.”
Ali Tuncay has been a member of the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage since 2008 and its co-chair since 2013, initially with Takis Hatzidimitriou and, for the past six years, with Sotos Ktoris. “For me,” he said, “it’s a learning experience. I know the difficulties we faced when we started, but we’ve achieved a lot over the years, and that’s very important. I have very fond memories; I made some very good Greek Cypriot friends and met many people abroad as well. What I’ve learned is that learning never ends.”
“All members of the Committee—both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots—feel that we are not merely colleagues,” said Mr. Ktoris. “Above all, we are fellow travelers in a great endeavor that concerns all the people of this land.”
Holy Monastery of Panagia Apsinthiotissa
The Holy Monastery of Panagia Apsinthiotissa was built in the 12th century; it is a rare hexagonal structure and takes its name from the wormwood plant (apsinthio), since, according to tradition, the icon of the Virgin Mary was found inside a cave covered with wormwood.
Byzantinologist and member of the Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage, Andreas Foulias, told CNA that the inscribed cruciform hexagonal plan is rare in Cyprus, while the church is dominated by its impressive dome. There is a later narthex on the western side, dating from the 15th century, built in the Gothic style. The monastery, said Mr. Foulias, is known for preserving the island’s only Byzantine refectory (the dining hall where the monks sat and ate), which also features several frescoes.
Regarding the Committee’s work, the Byzantinist noted that the preservation of all religious monuments and all religious communities in Cyprus is, in and of itself, an act of reconciliation and peacemaking.
Hakan Gokberk, an engineer and architect, has been collaborating with the Technical Committee for the past five years through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and was in charge of the monastery’s conservation project. In the past, he had undertaken the restoration of the Tuzla Mosque in Engomi, Famagusta, and in Larnaca, as well as the Church of St. George of the Latins in Famagusta.
The Turkish Cypriot engineer noted that Panagia Apsinthiotissa was a historic building that had suffered significant damage and had been abandoned for years, and that all necessary structural work had been carried out on it. He emphasized that there is great satisfaction with the completion of this effort, given the extremely poor condition in which the monument was found.
He explained that the work was carried out strictly in accordance with the approved conservation and restoration plan, under the supervision of the Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage. The problems with the building stemmed from significant rainwater infiltration through the roofs, uncontrolled vegetation growth that exerted pressure on the walls, the presence of birds damaging the murals, and the unhindered entry of visitors into areas without doors or windows. Thus, they initially focused on rainwater management projects and roof restoration. A sign will also be placed on the exterior of the monument, providing information about its history and significance.
Hakan Gokberk is launching two new restoration projects in the Agios Ambrosios area, one of which involves the Holy Monastery of Panagia Melandryna.
On November 21, the festival took place in Apsinthiotissa, according to Filippos Filippou, 78, who has served as community leader of Synghari for the past 15 years. The monastery belongs to the Exarchate of Jerusalem and has held services only once since the roadblocks were opened—and even then without a permit, resulting in his arrest at the time, though he was subsequently released. His complaint, as he said, is that they submit an application every year to hold a service at the church on November 21, but it is never approved.
Chrysi Yangouli from Synghari, now 77 years old, recalls that she used to go to the monastery often; she visited it again a few years ago, after the roadblocks were removed. Now she went to see how things had turned out and to reminisce about the old days… Syghari had about 500 residents, she told us, and was an exclusively Greek Cypriot village. The residents worked in agriculture; the women wove, while Mr. Filippou interjected to add that the village is also known for its mushrooms, which he himself still gathers every winter.
Church of Saint Prokopios
The Church of Saint Prokopios in Sygrasi is a 10th-century monument and a key example of the architecture of that era, Mr. Foulias noted. It is a cruciform church with a variation on the Hellenic style and a dome. What indicates that the church dates to the 10th century, he explained, is an inscription inside the church that recounts events that took place in 978 AD.
Inside, he noted, there is an early Christian marble inlay and the synthronon behind the Holy Altar, along the perimeter of the apse, and we assume that it also originates from an early Christian church that previously stood on the same site.
The monument, he added, shares many typological and architectural similarities with the Monastery of the Apostle Barnabas and the Church of Saint Lazarus in Larnaca. Saint Procopius is the patron saint of Sygrasi, and the church is quite large relative to the size of the village.
The project manager
Cem Taneri, a conservation specialist with the UNDP’s Technical Unit for Cultural Heritage and the person in charge of the conservation of Saint Prokopios, explained that the monument was initially in poor condition, but they managed to complete the work within 10 consecutive months. They began in December 2024 and finished in September 2025.
Key interventions included preventing water from entering the monument, restoring the bell tower, the replacement of all doors and windows, as well as the reconstruction of the sections of the portico that had collapsed, he noted. A total of four architects and engineers worked on the project, along with a team of about 10 people from the contractor’s side.
The most challenging part of the restoration turned out to be the repair of the main dome, due to the extremely difficult access, which required the installation of scaffolding both inside and outside the building. According to Mr. Taneri’s assessment, with basic maintenance, the monument can be kept in very good condition for at least another half-century, while regular and preventive care will prevent the need for future interventions on such a scale.
The Turkish Cypriot engineer has significant experience in similar projects through the UNDP, having served as project manager for both the first and second phases of the restoration of the Holy Monastery of St. Andrew, as well as at the Church of St. George in the village of the same name. He noted that while the Church of St. Prokopios may be older than the Monastery of St. Andrew the Apostle, but the monastery in Karpasia holds special significance as a place of pilgrimage for both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
This work, he said, is not merely a means of making a living for him, but he views it as an essential part of preserving historical heritage. He emphasized that the team’s love for the history of Cyprus makes them believe deeply in the sacred nature of the work they are doing.
His next project, he said, will likely be the restoration of a mosque in the village of Malia.
In front of his great-grandfather’s grave
During the summers of his childhood up until 1974, Nikos Charalambous from Famagusta spent his time in Sygrasi, where his mother was from. Yesterday he saw the grave of his great-grandfather, Panagiotis Hatzigiannis —a large marble tomb, the only one remaining in the cemetery next to the Church of Saint Prokopios, though it is broken—where he also attended services as a child.
He explained to us that the Hatzigiannis and the Loutsi families are the two major, well-known families in the village, which had a population of 300 (100 of whom were Turkish Cypriots, as it was a mixed community). Inside the cemetery, he looks around and explains that half of the people buried there are relatives of his mother and grandmother: “My fondest childhood memories are from this village. We used to hide in the grain fields, which were as tall as I was back then; my grandmother had chickens and guinea fowl in the yard, a well, and fresh eggs.” His grandmother’s house no longer exists; it was torn down, he said.
In Sygrasi, she said, Loukis Akritas also taught and wrote the novel *The Plain*, which was later adapted into a play, inspired by this plain of Mesaoria.
The marble plaque placed at the entrance to the small cemetery bears 12 names.
Source: CNA
