Funeral of Nicosia’s long-serving former mayor on Thursday (updated)

The funeral of former Nicosia mayor Lellos P Demetriades, who passed away on Saturday aged 89, will take place on Thursday at 4pm at the Ayia Sophia Church in Strovolos.

The Nicosia municipality, which is covering the funeral costs invited “those who honour his memory”.

A eulogy will be read by Nicosia mayor Constantinos Yiorkadjis.

On the day of the funeral all municipal buildings will close at 1pm, all municipal events will be cancelled, and flags will fly half-mast.

The municipality also said it will be renaming a street within the walls after the late Demetriades, while the square in front of the old municipal market will be named Lellos Demetriades square.

A bust of Demetriades will also be placed in the square.

On Thursday, the family will receive condolences at the church from 3pm to 4pm, the municipality said.

Demetriades will be buried at the Constantinos and Elenis cemetery in Aglandjia.

Instead of wreaths, contributions will be made to the Welfare Fund of the School for the Deaf, Bank of Cyprus, No. Account 011101004955, IBAN: CY 60002001110000000100495500

Demetriades, who died on Saturday, had been facing health issues for some time.

He was first elected Nicosia mayor in 1971, a position he held until December 2001, with the exception of a few weeks between July and August 1974.

He was also a Nicosia MP with the Patriotic Front between 1960 and 1969 and with the left-wing United Party between 1969 and 1970.

Demetriades was born in Nicosia in 1933. He studied economics and law and worked as a lawyer.

During his term, he worked to upgrade the sewerage system and founded the union of municipalities, while he collaborated closely with the then mayor of north Nicosia Mustafa Akinci, who later became the Turkish Cypriot leader.