When Will First Crematorium Be Built in Cyprus?

The construction of a crematorium in Cyprus will begin in the first half of 2024.

This was announced on Friday, January 5, by Neophytos Christodoulides, head of MW CREMATORIUM CYPRUS LTD, which is supervising the large-scale project.

According to him, the first crematorium on the island will appear within the administrative boundaries of the village of Agia Varvara in Paphos. The choice of location for construction is due to the demand for this service in this area. As it turned out, it is third country nationals living in the Paphos area who have shown great interest in the construction of the crematorium. Between 70 and 80 percent of them prefer cremation as a form of post-mortem care over other options such as burial.

Christodoulidis noted that the crematorium building will consist of two floors with a total area of more than 700 m2. The first floor of the building includes: a main entrance with a waiting area for visitors, 3 staff offices, a kitchen, guest and service toilets, and a room where memorial services will be held (approximately 70 seats). The basement of the building includes: auxiliary rooms, points for the reception and preparation of bodies, an area where the incinerator will be located, a point of ashes delivery, refrigerators for the temporary stay of bodies, as well as 3 parking spaces.

For the convenience of visitors and staff, a parking lot for 30 cars will be equipped near the building, 2 of which will be allocated for the disabled. The area around the new crematorium will be landscaped.

The cost of the project is estimated at 1 million euros. Its realization will take about 24 months.

Recall that in April 2016, the Parliament of Cyprus, after active protests from the Cypriot Orthodox Church, adopted a law authorizing the cremation of the dead in the country.

However, the legal document only came into force in 2019 due to technical delays. The construction of the crematorium, on the other hand, has been postponed several times, mainly due to a lack of daytime funds. In addition, according to the law, cremation should only be carried out in certified facilities, which both state, local authorities and private individuals will be able to open.

Currently, islanders who want to cremate deceased relatives and friends must send the body abroad, which costs them about 5 thousand euros. After the construction of a crematorium on the island, this problem will disappear. And the expenses of the relatives of the deceased will be reduced to 900 euros.