Cyprus-Forum.com

[paliometoxo]

NICOSIA - The Museum of Kykkos Monastery has presented new evidence of destruction, desecration and plundering of religious monuments in the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus.

Dr. Charalambos Hodjakoglou, head of the Museum's programme to record evidence concerning churches and other religious monuments in the Turkish occupied areas, referred to specific incidents of desecration, as well as the violation of the freedom of religion by the Turkish occupation regime.

He noted that the Roman Catholic gothic church of Saint Francis has been turned into a pub and pizza parlour, and that the church of the Johannine knights has been transformed into a night club.

Furthermore, the church of Panayia Trapeza in the village of Acheritou has been desecrated, with illegal excavations of probable medieval tombs.

In the case of Saint Efimianos in the village of Lysi, plunderers partially demolished a wall and excavated the floor, having earlier removed the church's murals.

Hodjakoglou also referred to a ''dramatic case, in which we also bear responsibility,'' namely the church of Panayia of Trachonas in the Turkish occupied part of Nicosia, which has been turned into a dance school.

He pointed out that recently road works began in the area, very close to the church, causing the building to become unstable. A breast wall had to be built to prevent the church from collapsing.

[yialousa1971]

Sacking heritage with European funds




The crumbling church Trachoni from projects approved by the Cyprus




The Church of Our Lady of Trachoni the road construction, financed by European funds, in danger of collapse.

The destruction and looting continued. Temples and monuments destroyed, dig up dead bones, murals are prey to looters still sacred places and flattened with funding from the European Union and adopting the principles of democracy. The Museum of the Monastery of Kykkos has yesterday published shocking new data on the desecration of archaeological and religious monuments in the territories, with more typical cases, that of the Virgin of Trachoni in occupied Nicosia, the St. Effimianou in Solution and the cemetery of Kyrenia.

In the first case concerning the church of Our Lady of Trachoni, who originally converted into a dance classroom, not long ago, on the pretext of road construction, was broken the entire surrounding area and the courtyard. As Mr Charalambos Chotzakoglou, professor at the Open University of Athens, the excavation in front of the west entrance of the temple, causing the crackle of static state monument, resulting in a Turkish contractor to proceed with projects directly support the memorial wall in order to not collapse. These projects, he said, financed by the EU and in accordance with Article 7 of the Rules, any road construction projects in the territories, funded by the EU, submitted in advance and the Republic of Cyprus to express any objections, and must explicitly protect the rights of possession and ownership of natural and legal persons. "It should be noted that the property of religious institutions in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic, is irreducible. The occupation regime to the tolerance of the Republic and covered behind the EU proceeded in violation of church property and damage to the monument, which may in future make it katedafisteo "said Mr Chotzakoglou. The explanation which stated that under the regulation explicitly protecting the rights of land and property, whether natural or legal persons "and the obligation to provide money for any program, this program must be submitted to us two months before the start of which we are entitled to contest and not let the money be given if we judge that such breaches rights'. I contacted all the agencies in Cyprus, the Office of the EU Cyprus and the Office of the European Delegation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and involved. Until now operators have not been able to identify that item. Asking us to give them further information. If there was no objection were given this money, "he added.

CEMETERY KYRENIA
As regards the case of the cemetery in Kyrenia, has found that a large number Keryneioton graves excavated by mechanical means and broken tombs and crosses thrown in the region of the cemetery. In the space become vacant, buried most British people of Kyrenia. Mr. Chotzakoglou stated that this is not only an unacceptable insult the memory of the dead, and an intolerable act of the Anglican Church in Cyprus, which in the free areas enjoy full freedom and benefit from the Church of Cyprus and the Cyprus Republic .

OSIOS EFFIMIANOS SOLUTION
Recorded a new case of antiquities. After stripping of the frescoes of the dome and the apse tetrasfairiou conducted a few years ago a Turkish illicit dealer in antiquitie Aydin Ntikmen recently found that illicit dealer in antiquitie partially demolished the north wall and excavated the floor, destroying the last fragments of wall paintings still in the church .

BANK OF THE VIRGIN Acheritou
In addition to the above, the floor of the temple, which was apparently medieval burials found at sites excavated trenches and dianoichthenta found fragments of medieval pottery.

Temples turned into bars ...

In addition to the Orthodox monuments, which have been destroyed, has been desecration and Roman Catholic monuments. Following the case of the Gothic church of San Francesco, which for years has turned into a brasserie-pizzeria, and turned the twin church of the Knights Hospitallers in bars, where fotorrythmika shining on medieval frescoes and altar of playing rock band.

http://ethnikolaikometwpo.blogspot.com/2010/03/blog-post_25.html#googtrans/el/en