After 45 years, today, January 19, 2022, the day of remembrance of Saint Makarios of Egypt, is fulfilled, a wish of the acclaimed Archbishop Makarios of DG, which he had expressed to the well-known painter and remarkable artist of Cyprus Mr. George Kotsonis; mosaic portrait of him, outside the place where he lived in the Holy Archdiocese of Cyprus. Mr. Kotsonis revealed to us the history of this mosaic, which has its beginning at the end of 1976 and which could not be completed then.
The current Archbishop of Cyprus, Mr. Chrysostomos II, who was aware of this wish of Archbishop Makarios, urged the well-known creator to complete this work, and to be placed today, the day that Ethnarch Makarios was named after him.
As Mr. Kotsonis himself told us, who also deals with the art of mosaic, "During the Byzantine period, the art of mosaic was at its peak, with the most representative works being the mosaics of Hagia Sophia. We continue this tradition, using the same materials they used then, ie natural stones from the sea or rivers.
My first mosaic work is in the Monastery of Agios Neophytos in Tala of Paphos, which was commissioned by the current Archbishop of Cyprus Mr. Chrysostomos, who was then Abbot of the Monastery. In this mosaic, which was made in a luneta, that is, in a semicircle, 1,5 meters long, Saint Neophytos is represented between two angels. Then, he ordered me another mosaic for the Monastery of Agios Neophytos, which adorns the Synod of the Monastery.
It is much larger and represents Deity, ie Christ in the middle, the Virgin Mary at His right hand and Holy Forerunner on the left, while Saint Neophytos kneels and prays to Christ.
Since then, I had been associated with His Beatitude in a friendship that continues to this day. The mosaic that adorns the Synod of the Diocese of Paphos, a silver miniature of which His Beatitude uses as a gift to this day, depicts the Christianity of the inhabitants of Paphos by the Apostles Paul and Barnabas during the early Christian years. It is the largest mosaic I have made and has dimensions of 5 by 3 meters.
My works are mostly my own inspirations and in addition to the mosaics I mentioned above, I have also made mosaics for Banks, hotels and other Institutions.
I mainly deal with painting, but I also deal with mosaic and sculpture. On my return from studies, various technicians had begun to take a more interested interest in the mosaics of Kato Paphos. So I, too, went and watched the way the tiles were placed and the technique. "Because I also had two younger brothers who lived near me, I trained them and they are still my assistants in the mosaics".
How did today's mosaic with the portrait of Archbishop Makarios of GD come about!
"At the end of 1976, I received a phone call that Archbishop Makarios III had returned and that he wanted to buy two of my works. However, his private friend, Mrs. Nitsa Christodoulou, told me to keep in mind that the other artists, from whom Makarios bought works, also gave him a gift! In order not to be exposed, we tell you, he told me! I, because at that time, I was making the big mosaic at the Synod of Agios Neophytos, I told her that I would make his portrait and she replied that it was a good idea! I made a portrait mosaic 70x40 cm. And when I got it at the Presidential Palace, he really liked it and invited me to his office.
He was so excited that he brought me to the Archdiocese and told me literally to choose any wall I wanted and make a full-length portrait of it in mosaic to be placed there. He even gave me various photos of him to choose from. I started designing it in early 1977, but I was very anxious, because I was the first to undertake such a big project. So my wife urged me to go on a trip to calm down and when we got back I would start with this mosaic. Together with another couple, we took our car and put it on the boat to start a trip to Europe by car.
It was August and somewhere on the street in Italy, we stopped for lunch. I went to a kiosk to get a beer and saw the Italian newspapers with Makarios on the front page and with the headline "Makarios è Morto", Makarios died. They explained to me there that Makarios had died of a heart attack.
To be honest, even though I was saddened by the loss of Makarios, I had lost some anxiety about the difficult task he had assigned me. It seems, however, that his "ghost" is still haunting me! The current Archbishop, because he knew this story, ordered the mosaic for me to fulfill, even after his death, the wish of Makarios.
Today, I feel happy that we have managed to complete a dream that dates back 45 years. This mosaic is 3 meters high and 2,20 meters wide. It is an eternal memorial for the famous Ethnarch ".
