Last week, contracts were signed for the start of maintenance work on the church of the Archangel Michael in occupied Gialousa.
As the Head of the bicommunal Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage, Takis Hatzidimitriou, stated to KYPE, the project is implemented by the Technical Committee with the method of self-financing, ie exclusively with funds provided by Gialousites from Cyprus and abroad.
It is a church of the 12th century AD. which was expanded at the end of the 18th century under Archbishop Chrysanthos and is an extremely important monument for Gialousa and for Orthodoxy, said Mr. Hatzidimitriou. He also said that the restoration works are necessary and have taken urgent form, as there are cracks in the building that need to be addressed to save the temple.
He also said that there is a large list of future projects that will be done with the method of self-financing, on the basis of a relevant agreement between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot companies. In some cases, the maintenance work will be co-financed, as both the communities concerned and the Technical Committee will contribute, he added.
The E / k Head of the Technical Committee also mentioned that the maintenance works have started in the church of Agios Sergios and Bacchus, in the occupied Agios Sergios of Famagusta. It is a building of the 13th or 14th century, to which additions were made later, while the maintenance work is done with EU funds.
Regarding the restoration of the Venetian walls of Nicosia that had collapsed, Mr. Hatzidimitriou said that the procedures for the start of work in the section of the Moula bastion, opposite Ledra Palace, have been completed. "We hope that by the end of November the works will start in the Quirini bastion as well," he added.
He also said that there was no delay, explaining that the scientific studies and the announcement of bids for the start of the projects preceded.
He finally mentioned that the works for the support of the churches of Agios Iakovos of Persia and Agios Georgios, inside the dead zone, are starting, in order to prevent the further collapse of the buildings. The bell tower of the church of Agios Iakovos had collapsed last February after heavy rains in the capital.