Cyprus’ Communications Minister Vassiliki Anastassiadou announced that a rare sixth century mosaic depicting saint Mark which had been looted from a  Christian Orthodox church over 40 years ago.

The portrait arrived on the island on Sunday after having gone reportedly missing from the Church of Panayia Kanakaria when the island was divided back in 1974.

St Mark’s mosaic is not the only piece of archaeological and religious value that was looted from the island during the Turkish invasion, AP reports.

The mosaic which was initially handed to church and government officials at the Cypriot embassy in the Netherlands was among a handful of such works that survived a period during the 8th and 9th centuries when many Orthodox icons were destroyed.