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US EMBASSY WELCOMES EUROPA NOSTRA AWARD TO ARMENIAN CHURCH RESTORATION
Cyprus News Agency
April 14, 2015 Tuesday
The US embassy in Nicosia has welcomed the fact that the restoration
of the Armenian Church and Monastery in the Turkish occupied part of
Nicosia has been awarded with the Europa Nostra 2015 award of the EU
for cultural heritage.
A press release issued by the embassy notes that through its
cooperation with the UNDP, the USAID financed this restoration work,
worth many million of US dollars, during which Armenian, Greek Cypriots
and Turkish Cypriots cooperated with international experts.
The US is a supporter for many years now, of such initiatives which
demonstrate that the protection of cultural heritage can build bridges
between communities which are in conflict, US Ambassador in Nicosia
John Koening said during an event last month organized at the site.
The European Commission and Europa Nostra revealed today the winners
of the 2015 European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra
Awards, considered Europe's most prestigious prize in the heritage
field. The 28 award winners, selected from 263 applications submitted
by organisations and individuals from 29 countries, are honoured
for outstanding achievements in four categories: 1) conservation, 2)
research and digitization, 3) dedicated service to heritage, and 4)
education, training and awareness-raising.
The Armenian Church and Monastery in Cyprus is among the winners in
the category conservation for the 2015 Awards.
According to Europa Nostra, the restoration of the Church aimed
to preserve a masterpiece of gothic architecture that, since 1963,
`has suffered from misuse and neglect`.
The project began in 2007 as part of a larger peace-building effort
in Cyprus. It was designed both to restore one of the most noteworthy
parts of the island's cultural heritage and to provide Armenian,
Greek and Turkish Cypriots with the opportunity to work together with
international experts to preserve their common heritage.
The Jury saw this project as a definite success story, partly of
conservation, with high quality research and meticulous conservation
techniques, but also as an exercise in the even more challenging
process of rebuilding a community. The architectural element is
wonderful and precious, but so is the need to restore and develop
the social cohesion of the community in the city. Europa Nostra said.
The Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state since 2004, has been
divided by Turkish troops since 1974 which still hold 37% of the
island`s territory.
More than 500 churches situated in the areas under Turkish occupation
since 1974 have been destroyed, plundered and looted or turned into
stables, warehouses, restaurants and hotels. The Cyprus government
and the church have repeatedly protested this destruction to the
UN, the World Council of Churches and many other international and
religious organisations.
Cyprus News Agency
April 14, 2015 Tuesday
The US embassy in Nicosia has welcomed the fact that the restoration
of the Armenian Church and Monastery in the Turkish occupied part of
Nicosia has been awarded with the Europa Nostra 2015 award of the EU
for cultural heritage.
A press release issued by the embassy notes that through its
cooperation with the UNDP, the USAID financed this restoration work,
worth many million of US dollars, during which Armenian, Greek Cypriots
and Turkish Cypriots cooperated with international experts.
The US is a supporter for many years now, of such initiatives which
demonstrate that the protection of cultural heritage can build bridges
between communities which are in conflict, US Ambassador in Nicosia
John Koening said during an event last month organized at the site.
The European Commission and Europa Nostra revealed today the winners
of the 2015 European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra
Awards, considered Europe's most prestigious prize in the heritage
field. The 28 award winners, selected from 263 applications submitted
by organisations and individuals from 29 countries, are honoured
for outstanding achievements in four categories: 1) conservation, 2)
research and digitization, 3) dedicated service to heritage, and 4)
education, training and awareness-raising.
The Armenian Church and Monastery in Cyprus is among the winners in
the category conservation for the 2015 Awards.
According to Europa Nostra, the restoration of the Church aimed
to preserve a masterpiece of gothic architecture that, since 1963,
`has suffered from misuse and neglect`.
The project began in 2007 as part of a larger peace-building effort
in Cyprus. It was designed both to restore one of the most noteworthy
parts of the island's cultural heritage and to provide Armenian,
Greek and Turkish Cypriots with the opportunity to work together with
international experts to preserve their common heritage.
The Jury saw this project as a definite success story, partly of
conservation, with high quality research and meticulous conservation
techniques, but also as an exercise in the even more challenging
process of rebuilding a community. The architectural element is
wonderful and precious, but so is the need to restore and develop
the social cohesion of the community in the city. Europa Nostra said.
The Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state since 2004, has been
divided by Turkish troops since 1974 which still hold 37% of the
island`s territory.
More than 500 churches situated in the areas under Turkish occupation
since 1974 have been destroyed, plundered and looted or turned into
stables, warehouses, restaurants and hotels. The Cyprus government
and the church have repeatedly protested this destruction to the
UN, the World Council of Churches and many other international and
religious organisations.