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castles and fortifications standing side-by-side
with Byzantine chapels, large Gothic churches
(which in Ottoman times, were transformed into
mosques), and the unique wild natural landscape
whose sunburnt workers laboured in its fields.
This is our land, the island of Cyprus, the island
of Saints, birthplace of Aphrodite, host to Me-
lusine...the island was a refuge. It served as a
springboard for crusaders, traders and explorers.
Arecital of the sweet land of Cyprus
I hope this exhibition will indeed be a “recital
of the sweet land of Cyprus” and will give the
public an understanding of the history of my
homeland and its unique artistic expression.
It is a complex and diverse history, a history
which has brought forth, and continues to bring
forth, new ideas. Above all it is a melting-pot
of cultures and peoples who, throughout his-
tory, whether as conquerors, traders, kings or
explorers, have offered and received a great
deal. Since ancient times, and up to 1960,
Cyprus has always belonged to someone, to
whomever wanted control over the Eastern
Mediterranean. Despite this, as if by an unbe-
lievable miracle, our island welcomed foreign
conquerors and, over time, conquered them and
survived without losing its identity, its Greek
and Christian origins. It is not by chance that
our historical exhibition is completed by an ex-
hibition of modern Cypriot paintings. The joy
of independence in 1960 was followed by the
bitter events of 1963 and 1974 and the current
conditions of semi-occupation. The desire of
Cypriot youth to discover their identity – their
patriotism, their anxieties, their thoughts and
their concerns – is evident in the work of a new
generation of Cypriot artists.
I would like to thank all the directors of the muse-
ums who lent us exhibits. Thanks and gratitude are
also due to the Church of Cyprus, its primate,Arch-
bishopChrysostomos, and in particular theBishops
who gave their blessing and allowed us to present
Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons of such impor-
tance and value. Special thanks and gratitude go to
Porphyrios, Bishop of Neapolis, representative of
the Church of Cyprus in the EU, without whose
advice and support none of this would have been
achieved, particularly in such a short time.
“Because all things pass and all things that happen
are recounted,” as Leontios Machairas writes, the
BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts and the Republic of
Cyprus invite you to see and hear the recital con-
cerning the Sweet Land of Cyprus.
Loukia Loizou Hadjigavriel
Curator
An icon dedicated to St Michael – selected in honour of St
Michel patron Saint of Brussels - from the Treasure room
Maps of the Venetian period depicted in the Venetian period room