A rare 6th century mosaic depicting St. Andrew taken from a looted church in Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus in the 1970s has been returned, Archbishop Chrysostomos II announced on Monday.
According to an Associated Press report, the mosaic showing a bearded St. Andrew was one of several that went missing from the Church of Panayia Kanakaria after the Turkish army invaded Cyprus in 1974 and the island was split into ethnic Greek and Turkish sides.
It is among only a handful of mosaics to have survived a period during the 8th and 9th centuries when many Orthodox icons were destroyed, AP notes.
The Archbishop of Cyprus pointed out that the rarity made the work a symbol of Cyprus’ “stolen heritage.”
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Source: greekreporter.com
