Antiphonitis Church

The octagonal domed church of the Christ Antiphonitis in the district of Kyrenia (Cyprus) was originally completely decorated with frescoes along its interior walls. Two of these are exceptional for their artistic and historic value: the story of the Tree of Jesse (a pictorial genealogy of the Virgin) located on the southern wall of the octagon, and the Last Judgment, on the northern wall. Following the 1974 war, looters stripped many of the region churches, removing an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 icons and several dozen major frescoes and mosaics, intending to sell them illegally on the antique market. The Church of Antiphonitis was among them. The walls with the two biblical episodes suffered major damages and big portions of their pictorial decoration were removed. Since the end of the 1990s, due to efforts of Cypriot authorities, more than 70 fragments of its frescoes returned from USA and Europe to the Byzantine Museum of Nicosia, where they are currently under conservation and restoration for future display.