CHURCH OF PANAGIA LYSI HAS BEEN FULLY PRESERVED - IMPRESSIVE IMAGES FROM THE MASTERPIECE OF 'MASTRE-GIAKOUMIS'

 Filenews 31 October 2025

The maintenance works at the church of Panagia Lysi have been completed, as a result of the joint effort of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot architects, engineers and conservators, according to the Head of the Bi-communal Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage, Sotos Ktoris. As he states in his post, it is one of the most emblematic monuments of the modern cultural heritage of Cyprus.

"The church, the work of the distinguished master builder Mastre-Giakoumis (Iakovos Pavlou), was completed at the end of the 19th century and is a masterpiece of Cypriot church building art. Maestro Giakoumis, combining the folk stonebuilding tradition with elements of neo-Gothic architecture, created a monument of unique aesthetic and technical excellence, which testifies to the craftsmanship of Cypriot craftsmen in an era without mechanical means", notes Mr. Ktoris.

The team of designers/conservators consisted of Margarita Petrou, Enver Eronen, Despina Athanasiou, Ismail Safkan, Katerina Athienitou and Christos Karis. The work was overseen by Fatos Mullaaziz on behalf of the UNDP.