It was back in November 2018 when vandals broke into the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St Panteleimon in Myrtou, Cyprus.
According to an article by the Turkish-Cypriot local daily newspaper Kibris Postasi the vandals broke the entrance doors and window panes, damaging the fencing, while someone painted non-political graffiti on the walls.
The disrespectful act came only two years after the monastery had been conserved with the support of the European Union, as a landmark of the area’s cultural and historical heritage.
In a heart-warming initiative which was launched by the Turkish side, Greek-Cypriots joined their counterparts in the occupied side of the island to clean up the walls and restore the Monastery.
Α community clean-up event was organised where representatives from the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage, the European Commission and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) participated in the Caring for our Cultural Heritage, the Cyprus Mail reported.
“As you know there have been some challenges with the maintenance and despite all effort, there is still a lot to be done,” UNDP Cyprus Programme Manager Tiziana Zennaro told volunteers and participants present at the event.
“[The monastery] was not only a place for worship but a social and economic center and a significant example of the island’s cultural heritage.”
Meanwhile, Turkish-Cypriot head of the Technical Committee, Ali Tuncay also expressed his appreciation of local heritage monuments and his respect for both the monastery’s religious and cultural significance.
“We will not leave this monument alone… we will not let this monument be part of the blame game or to be used for political purposes,” he said declaring the committee’s awareness regarding the tremendous responsibility that comes with his role.
Mr Tuncay personally committed to ensure his tenure sees monuments throughout the island be “saved and protected”.