BISHOP Neophytos of Morphou said yesterday the Holy Synod was standing by its decision to go ahead with controversial renovations to the Apostolos Andreas Monastery in the occupied Karpass peninsula.
Part of the plan for renovation of the monastery involves the demolition of a number of upper rooms attached to the building, which were not originally part of the structure, but have been deemed unsafe by the project managers.
While the majority of the Holy Synod supports the removing of the additional rooms, a faction of the Church, including Bishop Neophytos, is opposed.
Speaking after yesterday’s Synod meeting, he said it was not “just a matter of a few rooms” but an entire two-storied with important architectural “and particularly important, the memory of our occupied land”.
“If this memory is removed from a monument, it is not monument any more,” he said. “We should respect also the monument and the memory and the enclaved.” He also said the renovations should only go ahead with the support of the people of the Kaprass.
Asked if he was alone within the Synod in opposing the demolition, Neophytos said: “No”.
Two months ago, architects overseeing the renovation said they feared losing the $1 million allocated by the UN for its repair, following a row with the Church-backed committee monitoring the project.
The restoration is being carried out in tandem with work on the Hala Sultan Tekke, a shrine holy to Turkish Cypriots, near Larnaca’s Salt Lake.
Around $5 million in total has been allocated for the dual projects, which is being provided by the US and the work is being carried out by UNOPS, the United Nations Office for Project Services. Around $1 million of the total has been allocated for the monastery and chapel.
Apostolos Andreas was built on the spot where the Apostle Andrew is said to have come ashore on his way to Greece in the 1st century AD. For the past 30 years it has fallen foul of neglect and the elements. The monastery itself dates from the 19th century and the chapel from the 14th century.
The first phase of the project, which involved surrounding buildings, was completed last year. Professor Giorgio Croci, the Italian engineer who is famed for preventing the Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling over, has taken on the project, and it was he who deemed the additions unsafe.
