The Byzantine Museum in Nicosia, Cyprus, has opened a new exhibit spotlighting early Christian relics with a distinct history.
Many of the artifacts were once stolen by looters and trafficked on the black market after a Turkish invasion in 1974, Reuters reported.
Mosaics, icons and wall frescoes were recovered after being stolen from churches north of the island.
MYSTERIOUS PYRAMID, ANCIENT BRONZE COINS DISCOVERED BY ARCHAEOLOGISTS
The museum is still searching for many of the stolen items, according to the museum’s director, Ioannis Eliades, Ph.D., Reuters reported.
A new exhibit in Cyprus is displaying ancient religious relics previously stolen and sold on the black market during an invasion in the 1970s. (REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou)
“The looting, the destruction was on a great scale… We have calculated that more than 20,000 icons have been stolen and disappeared from the churches,” said Eliades.
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Cyprus gained independence from British rule in 1960, but Greek-Turkish Cypriot tensions led to violence, with Turkey intervening in 1974 after a Greek-backed coup and seizing over a third of the island, according to the CIA World Factbook.
The museum is still searching for many of the stolen items, according to museum director Ioannis Eliades, Reuters reported. (REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou)
The Turkish-held north declared itself independent in 1983 but is only recognized by Turkey.
Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, but EU laws apply only in government-controlled areas, the factbook notes.
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Mosaics from the early 6th century AD from the Church of Panagia Kanakaria at Lythrangomi are featured and are known as rare by archaeologists, surviving when Byzantine emperors banned the use of religious images.
“The looting, the destruction was on a great scale… We have calculated that more than 20,000 icons have been stolen and disappeared from the churches,” said the museum’s director. (REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou)
A depiction of Christ, the Virgin Mary, archangels and apostles was chopped into pieces and sold on the black market in the late 1970s.
The majority of those pieces were later discovered in private collections acquired by Cyprus officials after litigation.
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“We want the new generation to understand what happened on our island, and why it is important to safeguard even the smallest piece which we can bring [home],” added Eliades.
Reuters contributed to this report.