|
The Department of Antiquities,
Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works announces that the Royal
iconostasis doors of the church of Agios Anastasios in the occupied
Peristeronopigi village, Famagusta District, have been repatriated from
Japan.
The Royal iconostasis doors
have returned to Cyprus after yearlong efforts that have been intensified
during the last two years, thus concluding one of the most renowned and at
the same time complex cases of repatriation. The looting of the church of
Agios Anastasios by the Turkish occupation army and its collaborators and the
sale of the Royal iconostasis doors, as well as of the icons and sacred
vessels of the church, the fate of which remains unknown, reveals once again
the catastrophic consequences of the Turkish invasion on the cultural
heritage of Cyprus.
The Royal iconostasis doors
were located in Japan in the 1990s at the Kanazawa College of Art. Their
repatriation was made possible following the coordinated efforts of the
Department of Antiquities of Cyprus, the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in
Tokyo and the Church of Cyprus, together with the competent authorities of
the Kanazawa College of Art that possessed the Royal iconostasis doors.
The Royal iconostasis doors
from Agios Anastasios church belong to the Cypriot iconographic tradition of
the 18th century, which is differentiated from the rest of
the Orthodox world, of which they are an important example. During this
period, the upper parts of iconostasis doors were usually decorated with
representations of the Annunciation, while the lower parts were often
decorated with representations of the Three Hierarchs and occasionally, with
a Cypriot saint, Agios Spyridonas in this case.
Apart from their archaeological
importance, Royal iconostasis doors bear important symbolical and religious
meanings, since they are an integral part of Orthodox churches. The
repatriated Royal iconostasis doors from Peristeropigi date to 1778,
according to an inscription preserved between the upper part representing the
Annunciation and the lower part representing the Three Hierarchs and Agios
Spyridon. According to the inscription, the Royal iconostasis doors were
painted by the Monk Filaretos from Psimolofou, who became Protosyncellus in
the Monastery of Agios Iraklidios in Politiko, an important iconographic
center of that period. The doors were made at the expense of Hatzigiasoumis,
probably a resident of Peristeronopigi village, during the time when
Chrysanthos was Archbishop and Leontios was Abbot (Egoumenos) («Επ’ ἀρχιθύτου Κυρίου Κυρ
Χρυσάνθου, ἑπιστάτου Λεόντιου ἱερομονάχου, δαπάνῃ δε Γιασο υμῆ προσκυνητοῦ.
Χείρ Φιλαρέτου και ἱερομονάχου αψοή»).
The Department of Antiquities
wishes to express its gratitude to the Church of Cyprus and especially to the
Archbishop, with whom direct communication on the case occurred throughout
the whole process and whose support and contribution towards the repatriation
efforts was invaluable, to the competent Directorates of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus for their close cooperation, the
National Committee for Combating the Looting and Illegal Trafficking of
Cultural Heritage, as well as all other governmental authorities of the
Republic of Cyprus involved, such as the Department of Customs and Excise,
the Department of Civil Aviation and the Cyprus Police, especially the Office
for the Combating of Illicit Possession and Trafficking of Antiquities of the
Police Headquarters, for facilitating the return of the Royal iconostasis
doors to Cyprus.
The Department of Antiquities
as the competent authority of the Republic of Cyprus for the protection and
management of our cultural heritage, will continue all efforts for its
preservation and protection. Although it is acknowledged that the fight
against illicit trafficking is an extremely difficult and complex issue, the
Department of Antiquities is confident that through coordinated efforts, the
desired results can be reached.
The Royal iconostasis doors
will be conserved by the Department of Antiquities and will be handed over to
the Holy Archbishopric of Cyprus, until their return to the church of Agios
Anastasios, where they belong, is made possible.
The Minister of Transport,
Communications and Works wishes to thank especially the Director of the
Department of Antiquities, as well as all those who contributed towards the
success of this extremely important repatriation.
EH/ECHR
|
