Lefkoniko church earmarked for restoration

THE TECHNICAL committee for cultural heritage has already started its pilot programme of assessment of religious monuments on both sides, as agreed by the two leaders at their last meeting on July 25.

President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat agreed to compile an entire list of the immovable cultural heritage of Cyprus and decided on the two restoration projects that would be part of the pilot programme.

These were named yesterday as the Church of Archangel Michael in occupied Lefkoniko, and the Arnavout mosque in Limassol.

A subcommittee of the technical committee dealing with cultural issues has already been set up, which will asses the two sides for the pilot programme.

The subcommittee has already visited the Limassol mosque, and is expected to visit the church in the coming days.

After the assessment of the current state of the two buildings, the committee will discuss with the UN how they could be preserved. Work is due to start by the end of the summer.

The Church of Archangel Michael in Lefkoniko is reportedly in a bad state, as are the vast majority of Orthodox churches in the north.

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