WORK ON a new cathedral has begun next to one of the oldest churches in Nicosia, despite efforts by the architects association and a number of deputies to block the project.
Bulldozers have already begun to dig up the area earmarked for a new large church off Kennedy Avenue in the capital, on the premise that it will cater to the needs of local parishioners, adding to the three other churches in the vicinity (Ayios Nikolaos, Ayios Dimitrios and Ayios Nektarios).
Head of the Architects Association Constantinos Constanti yesterday voiced his objection to the project, saying nothing should be built in the area next to the existing 400-year-old Ayia Paraskevi church because “it will undermine and hide the existing archaeological monument”.
“We need to respect areas around monuments. Years ago we proposed to record all monuments in Local Plans and designate the area around them as archaeological spaces, but nothing’s been done about it,” he said.
Constanti noted the association had even proposed putting up the prize money for a competition to design a landscape for that area as an alternative to a new church. The proposal was not taken up.
Greens deputy Georgios Perdikis said the idea to designate the areas around archaeological monuments as ‘archaeological spaces’ to provide some protection was “a very good one”.
On efforts to prevent the proposed church from overshadowing the ancient one, he accepted defeat, saying: “We lost the battle.”
The plan to build a giant church next to Ayia Paraskevi church in the capital met huge resistance from members of the public last year. Over four thousand people joined a group on social networking site Facebook protesting against the project, while deputies Christos Stylianides, Nicos Tornaritis and Perdikis all voiced their objections in parliament.
Opponents of the new church fear it will dwarf the neighbouring 400-year-old church, while vibrations from the construction could put its foundations at risk.
After the Town Planning Department (TPD) gave the church planning permission to erect the new building, the Strovolos Municipality was left with little choice but to give the final go-ahead, despite the mayor’s personal disapproval of the project.
Eyebrows were also raised as to how the ecclesiastical authorities ended up getting a permit to build a large church on the site from the TPD after it was revealed that the Environment Agency had cited “concerns” over the project in 2009.
The agency noted the new cathedral would further exacerbate traffic congestion in the area and increase noise pollution, while voicing concerns over the preservation of antiquities in the area.
Ayia Paraskevi is tucked into the corner of a sizeable plot of land next to the Central Bank building and overlooked by the large head offices of the Bank of Cyprus. It is surrounded by numerous office and apartment buildings and the grounds of a nearby hotel.
