The Department of Antiquities expresses great satisfaction for the repatriation of the very important wall paintings of the Church of Agios Themonianos in Lysi, which are an integral part of the cultural heritage of Cyprus as well as of the Byzantine world in general. After being kept at the Menil Foundation in Houston, Texas for more than 28 years, the wall paintings are returning to Cyprus following coordinated efforts of all the competent authorities of the State and of the Church of Cyprus (the Department of Antiquities, The Holy Archbishopric, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Legal Services, the Ministry of Communications and Works).
The wall paintings, dating to the 13th/14th century, were once part of the interior decoration of the Church of Agios Euphemianos (also known as Agios Themonianos), in currently occupied Lysi. In the fragments of the wall paintings preserved on the dome is depicted Christ Pantocrator, surrounded by a frieze of angels as well as the Preparation of the Throne attended by the Mother of God and St. John the Baptist. In the conch of the apse the wall paintings depict the Mother of God attended by the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. In 1972/1973, the Department of Antiquities carried out conservation of the wall paintings. Following 1974, the wall paintings were violently removed by the Turkish invaders and eventually ended up in the possession of the Menil Foundation.
In December 2005, one of the conservators of the Department of Antiquities was sent to the Menil Foundation to inspect the wall paintings and carried out conservation. This action was according to Article 8c of the then loan Agreement that had been made between the Menil Foundation and the Holy Archbishopric of Cyprus, which stated that the wall paintings would be inspected from time to time by experts of the Department of Antiquities. In the period between 2005 and 2010, the Department of Antiquities was kept informed of the condition of the wall paintings from the written reports submitted by conservators of the Menil Foundation.
In June 2010 the Department of Antiquities, as the competent authority, called a meeting of representatives of all the relevant parties with the intention of discussing the matter of the return of the wall paintings to their legitimate owners. Following the second meeting, that took place on the 2nd of July 2010 at the Ministry of Communications and Works under the presidency of the then Minister Dr Erato Kozakou-Marcoulli, and acting once more on Article 8c of the abovementioned Agreement, the Curator of Antiquities and a Conservator of the Department of Antiquities went to the Menil Foundation with the purpose of inspecting and evaluating the condition of the wall paintings.
With the return of the Officers of the Department of Antiquities to Cyprus, new meetings were held at the Ministry of Communications and Works with all relevant parties and a decision was made to create a committee that would oversee the matter.
The return of the wall paintings was finally achieved with an amicable settlement and the consequent coordinated efforts of both, Church and State. We hope that this case will set a good precedent for the repatriation of other significant antiquities.
As the competent authority, the Department of Antiquities will undertake the procedures regarding the return of the wall paintings to Cyprus.