In the old part of Nicosia, work to repair buildings that were illegally destroyed by the Archdiocese of Cyprus in 2021 is almost finished.
The work is almost finished. It should be finished by the end of May 2025.
This is about four important buildings on Patriarch Grigoris and Isokrates streets. These buildings were on land owned by the Cypriot Orthodox Church. They were knocked down even though there were permits saying that old buildings must be kept and fixed up. The restoration took more than four years and cost the archbishopric more than €1 million.
The buildings have been restored and now have a small hall for guests to visit after services and a small library. Now, we just need to fix the damp walls and finish improving the pavements next to them. The plan was to finish the restoration by the end of 2024, but this was delayed because of technical problems. The builders say the main problem is that the old pavement wasn't replaced on time, which made the structures damp.
Archbishop George said that all work had to meet the landscaping standards and architectural heritage protection requirements.
It is worth saying that the illegal demolition caused a public outcry.
The Mayor of Nicosia, Constantinos Yiorkadjis, demanded that the historical sites be restored immediately. He had the support of political parties, local residents and the professional community. The Cyprus Association of Civil Engineers and the Attorney General at the time, Yorgos Savvides, said that the demolition was a crime. The buildings were in a bad state and could fall down. Chrysostomos said there were plans to build a hotel there in the future. However, the local government made the church promise to restore the demolished buildings and pay a deposit of €500,000. If the church did not meet the conditions, the government could take the deposit.
Athena Aristotelous, a specialist with the right qualifications, was chosen to lead the project. She used to be in charge of the urban planning department. The local government also said that if there are more delays, they might take away the building permit for the new cathedral. This was stopped before by these buildings. The Archdiocese has given the municipality official guarantees that it will fulfil all its obligations.