Giant Makarios statue to be moved by August

THE CHURCH is to remove the giant bronze statue of Archbishop Makarios that has graced the grounds of the Archbishopric for the past 15 years by August at the latest.

It will be transferred to the famous Kykkos Monastery and will be replaced with a newer, life-sized marble statue of the Republic’s first President.

Archbishop Chrysostomos was yesterday quoted in Phileleftheros as saying that the new statue has been ready for the past three months, but that strikes affecting the Greek shipping industry have delayed its arrival on the island.

However, it’s expected that the new statue will be placed on its plinth within the next ten days.

According to the Archbishop, there had been so many complaints about the old ten-metre statue over the years that it was time for it to go.

“It’s moving because a lot of people have reacted over the size,” the Archbishop had told the Mail when the decision was first taken back in January. “People say it’s too big and is an eyesore.”

The statue was designed and sculpted by Nikos Kotziamanis between 1984 and 1987 and placed right in front of the Archbishopric. It was the brainchild of the previous Archbishop Chrysostomos, who was replaced as the Cypriot Church leader late last year following an extended illness.

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