Why Is The Desmume Screen Black

Interview by Ioannis A. Eliades of the Byzantine Museum of Nicosia

Ioannis A. Eliades : "Many thefts, illegal to steal works of art have given the Church of Cyprus idea to circulate in big cities, notice requiring that all important icons are then harvested for all together in a museum. Alas, this was not possible during the English period (first and second world war, and then the liberation war of Cyprus). With Archbishop Macario, the idea resurfaced in 1960 with the restoration of icons. In 1973 a major restoration workshop is created, ready to accommodate a large number of icons for the formation of the Museum. But the war in 1974, and the Turkish invasion which still has blocked everything. The Museum will be set up until 1982, ie 5 years after the death of the archbishop. Archbishop Macario A Foundation have also found a large library, a gallery of modern art, contemporary center editions. But the great ambition of the museum is to give shelter to the largest possible number of works which seized northern Cyprus. "

- 550 is the number of churches destroyed or abandoned in northern processed for various uses. And an estimated more than 20,000 the number of stolen parts. An enormous wealth that the illegal traffic has spread around the world ...

Ioannis A. Eliades : "Recently we found two great icons of trichome in the hands of a trafficker who held Russian in Switzerland in Zurich. A trial is also underway to repatriate them. "

- Publications, catalogs, exhibitions ... the Museum is engaged in a detailed study of operation and research to find the missing works.

Ioannis A. Eliades : "That's why our Museum had the idea to organize overseas exhibitions. We have already participated in the two editions of the meeting in Rimini in 2008 and 2009. The first year we presented the destruction of churches in Cyprus, showed their condition, asking to do something. While in 2009 we have illustrated the case of works found in Germany ("Hostages in Germany"). Was found in the apartments of a Turkish smuggler in Germany more than 300 works from Cyprus. Placed in receivership for more than 11 years, they are still in Germany. We ask that all works can be together again. "


Ioannis Eliades tells the sad story churches such as St. Barnabas turned into a museum (but icons there are more) and that the monks were forced to leave. It's still a lot of emotion in him when he thinks about the restoration of the frescoes found in Germany after so much effort.

Ioannis A. Eliades : "The Church of Cyprus has paid a sum to find out where were the apartments of the Turkish smuggler. Then there was the sale between September and October 1997, these frescoes have been recovered. When these three paintings you see here have found their place on the wall, we were very moved. We hope that this same process could one day be in the original church "

But in reality the value of these works, which are no less valuable, goes far beyond their capacity Art. By saving and restoring them is the strong Christian identity of the Cypriot people, tied to his land and his faith, which is saved and rebuilt. This same faith who lived all these people forced to leave their homes in the 70's and have managed to save some of the most popular icons, laying in the middle their few personal belongings away in haste, they were more valuable to save. This was the case with this icon ...

Ioannis A. Eliades : "This icon is an example of lost heritage of northern Cyprus. It comes from the Church of Panakia Avracida. The Turks have shot 15 years after the war in 1989. Probably after snatching the frescoes that were inside the church, built in the sixteenth century. They shot down the church and left the cells that surrounded the monastery, this to make it clear that their only aim was to destroy the Church, nothing else. This icon and it is the only witness, the only object that remains of this church. She was rescued by refugees, 74, and was reported by the archdiocese. "


- A approximately fifty churches are located within military camps inaccessible, says Ioannis, and those that were visited are in poor condition. The director of the Byzantine Museum in Nicosia in hopes of security conditions for refugees to return homes and churches to be restored. "Help us to do something," he says forcefully, otherwise there will soon be nothing of this great heritage. " His art is also an urgent appeal to the Pope.

Ioannis A. Eliades : "We ask the pope to do what he can to the cultural heritage of the north, collapsing day after day. Through the President of Cyprus, who died last year, we presented the pope a photo album of occupied churches, their state, so that it can to help, do something. This helps the Pope, Chrysostom It has also sought during his official visit in 2007. This year, we are hopeful that the visit of Benedict XVI makes things grow, we can get permission to restore our churches, because it does not even allow us to restore our churches with our own money. "

(from http://www.h2onews.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=224445169)