Famagusta: The maintenance works of the church of Agios Georgios in Vatili have been completed (EIKONES)

The maintenance works of the church of Agios Georgios in Vatili have been completed.

The church of Agios Georgios is a medieval church, perhaps of the 16th century or even older, because there is a well-known icon of the Virgin Mary ("the Virgin of Vatili"), which was painted in the late 16th century in Venice. The icon was donated by Archbishop George (known locally as Papagiorkis) from Vatili to the church of his village, where he was the archpriest or main priest. The church was so completely restored in 1856 that only a part of its original medieval construction remained on the south side wall and its western Gothic gate. The beautiful delicate details of the chipped stone of the Gothic west gate were not lost even after the years that it was neglected under the Turkish occupation, after the nightmarish summer of 1974.

The project was implemented with the financial assistance of the European Union and the local community, with the support of UNDP.

Photos by: Sotos Ktoris