The ruins of seven monuments – churches and watermills – damaged during last month’s wildfire that swept through mountainous Limassol will be protected, Deputy Minister for Culture Vasiliki Kassianidou said on Monday, pledging to do whatever possible.

Kassianidou visited the fire-stricken communities on Monday and held a meeting in Omodos with the community leaders of the area, before touring the damaged monuments. Also present were mountainous commissioner Charalambos Christofinas and officials from local authorities and the antiquities department.

In Souni, Kassianidou visited the ruins of St Shialloumi church and the site of the ‘two churches’, also in ruins, while in Kisousa she was informed about damage to the watermill in the Kapsalia area.

Many monuments – such as watermills – were “hidden” in the mountainous countryside or riverbeds and were known to the locals but not officially registered, Kassianidou said.

“We want to enrich the list [of monuments] and see how we can declare them so that they can be protected. We will do everything we can,” she added.

Kassianidou said the monuments damaged were already in ruins, however “this does not mean they are of no value”. They included the ruins of early Christian and Byzantine churches.

She also promised compensation for communities that had to cancel cultural events due to the fire.

The programme to support art and health, with a budget of €100,000, aims at psychosocial resilience, social cohesion and cultural reconstruction, placing emphasis on the participation of local creators.

The deputy minister said that after electricity, water and shelter were restored, “we want to come in and support them as much as we can – they need support so that they can see that there is a future ahead and hope.”

Christofinas said the government’s aim was to restore all burned areas and referred to plans implemented by ministries to get compensation and assistance to the beneficiaries.

“All measures aim at reaching full normality for the people and the region,” Christofinas explained.

He admitted that “time is needed”, however he said all involved ministries were cooperating to get the work done the soonest possible.

“We are doing well. The people will judge us,” he added.

In the Limassol wildfire that started on July 23 and raged for three days, two elderly people were burned alive and hundreds of homes and businesses were lost.

According to the latest official figures, the fire burned an area of 124 square kilometres. Seventeen communities were affected, of which 13 suffered severe losses.

In those communities, 706 buildings succumbed to the flames – 335 were completely destroyed and 371 partially. Among them were 532 homes, 109 warehouses, 29 business establishments and 36 other constructions.

Over 775 farms also suffered total or partial loss of livestock and cultivations.