WHAT MIGHT be the world’s tallest statue is being planned at a Russian backed development off the coast of Limassol.
The 135 metre statue of an angel named The Kind Angel of the World is being planned at Monagrouli, about 20km from Limassol.
The development is being planned by a Russian foundation, the International Club philanthropists and Patrons of Europe and will include a conference centre for 1,300 delegates, a ‘presidential’ convention centre for 300 delegates, a theatre and banqueting hall. It will also include a number of cafés and restaurants.
A site of 52 donums has been set aside on Church-owned land in Monagrouli, and the Church has already agreed to lease the land to the Russian foundation.
Reports say a church, called the Temple of Kindness and Peace, will be built at the site, while the project, estimated to cost some €100 million, has received the blessing of Archbishop Chrysostomos.
The local community has welcomed the Russian businessmen with open arms, and has guaranteed to make arrangements so that the complex is guaranteed a water supply, according to Monagrouli mukhtar Paraskevas Heracleous.
“We warmly support this. It will be good for our village, but also for the country’s economy as it will bring in the tourists,” he said.
“I don’t understand people who say this can’t be happening here. It’s going to put little Cyprus back on the map.”
Heracleous said the first contacts with Russian businessmen representing the Club took place around Easter time. After just a couple of meetings, the idea was sold to the local community.
A foundation stone has been laid at the site.
The statue itself will rise 135 meters from the ground, and visitors will be taken up via lifts. Inside, or atop, the head of the Kind Angel a restaurant/café will offer spectacular views.
Currently the world’s tallest statue is the Spring Temple Buddha in China, which is 128m high. New York’s Statue of Liberty is 93m high.
The complex itself will be situated some 150m from the Agios Georgios Alamanos beach, and will include green areas and such trappings as music-synchronised fountains.
The Cyprus branch of the International Club of Philanthropists and Patrons of Europe was established in Limassol in 2009. Members include Russian financiers and people involved in the oil business.
