Restoration work at Famagusta’s Saint Paraskevi church has been completed, bicommunal technical committee on cultural heritage co-chairman Sotos Ktoris said on Wednesday.

He explained that the church was built in five different phases between the 16th century and the 20th century, with the final phase including the construction of a bell tower and the remodelling of the church “to give it a neoclassical appearance”.

“With the exception of its initial phase, from which only the apse of the sanctuary is preserved, the church was plastered in each phase, since it was built with irregular stones,” he said.

The restoration project was funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Project, with Ktoris saying the works “saved the church from complete collapse, preserving it as a valuable cultural asset for the people of Cyprus”.

“Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots are sending the message that reconciliation is not an abstract concept, but a reality which is built stone by stone, monument by monument, with mutual respect, sincere cooperation, and a shared vision,” he said.