Stolen church treasures returned

By Andrew Adamides

PART OF the hoard of stolen Cypriot religious treasures found in the possession of Turkish ‘art dealer’ Aydin Dikman arrived back on the island from Germany yesterday.

The 32 pieces plundered from the occupied areas originally came from frescoes and one mosaic. The frescoes were originally part of the church of Antiphonitis and the mosaic from Kanakaria.

The artefacts arrived at Larnaca airport at around 3pm. Church representative Bishop Vassilios said he was happy the relics had been returned, bud saddened by the state they were in.

The items will be displayed at the Archbishopric “until they can be returned to their place of origin”, he said.

The stolen artefacts were discovered earlier this year hidden behind false walls and ceilings in several Munich apartments belonging to Aydin. The finds came after a lengthy international police operation.

All of the items will eventually be returned to Cyprus.

Byzantologist Athanasios Papageorgiou, who was involved in cataloguing the religious treasures and who had restored the frescoes in situ, said he did not believe Dikman’s arrest would solve the problem.

He said Dikman was collecting the artefacts on orders of others who remained at large.

He said some of these collectors were known to the Cypriot authorities, but nothing could be done about them as there was no evidence which could stand up in court.

“Today they are all millionaires through selling priceless stolen Cypriot artefacts,” he said.