Volume L, No 3, July-September 2012 - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Volume L, No 3, July-September 2012 - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Volume L, No 3, July-September 2012 - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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castles and fortifications standing side-by-side<br />
with Byzantine chapels, large Gothic churches<br />
(which in Ottoman times, were transformed into<br />
mosques), and the unique wild natural landscape<br />
whose sunburnt workers laboured in its fields.<br />
This is our land, the island <strong>of</strong> Cyprus, the island<br />
<strong>of</strong> Saints, birthplace <strong>of</strong> Aphrodite, host to Melusine...the<br />
island was a refuge. It served as a<br />
springboard for crusaders, traders and explorers.<br />
A recital <strong>of</strong> the sweet land <strong>of</strong> Cyprus<br />
I hope this exhibition will indeed be a “recital<br />
<strong>of</strong> the sweet land <strong>of</strong> Cyprus” and will give the<br />
public an understanding <strong>of</strong> the history <strong>of</strong> my<br />
homeland and its unique artistic expression.<br />
It is a complex and diverse history, a history<br />
which has brought forth, and continues to bring<br />
forth, new ideas. Above all it is a melting-pot<br />
<strong>of</strong> cultures and peoples who, throughout history,<br />
whether as conquerors, traders, kings or<br />
explorers, have <strong>of</strong>fered and received a great<br />
deal. Since ancient times, and up to 1960,<br />
Cyprus has always belonged to someone, to<br />
whomever wanted control over the Eastern<br />
Mediterranean. Despite this, as if by an unbelievable<br />
miracle, our island welcomed foreign<br />
conquerors and, over time, conquered them and<br />
survived without losing its identity, its Greek<br />
and Christian origins. It is not by chance that<br />
our historical exhibition is completed by an exhibition<br />
<strong>of</strong> modern Cypriot paintings. The joy<br />
<strong>of</strong> independence in 1960 was followed by the<br />
bitter events <strong>of</strong> 1963 and 1974 and the current<br />
conditions <strong>of</strong> semi-occupation. The desire <strong>of</strong><br />
Cypriot youth to discover their identity – their<br />
Maps <strong>of</strong> the Venetian period depicted in the Venetian period room<br />
An icon dedicated to St Michael – selected in honour <strong>of</strong> St<br />
Michel patron Saint <strong>of</strong> Brussels - from the Treasure room<br />
patriotism, their anxieties, their thoughts and<br />
their concerns – is evident in the work <strong>of</strong> a new<br />
generation <strong>of</strong> Cypriot artists.<br />
I would like to thank all the directors <strong>of</strong> the museums<br />
who lent us exhibits. Thanks and gratitude are<br />
also due to the Church <strong>of</strong> Cyprus, its primate, Archbishop<br />
Chrysostomos, and in particular the Bishops<br />
who gave their blessing and allowed us to present<br />
Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons <strong>of</strong> such importance<br />
and value. Special thanks and gratitude go to<br />
Porphyrios, Bishop <strong>of</strong> Neapolis, representative <strong>of</strong><br />
the Church <strong>of</strong> Cyprus in the EU, without whose<br />
advice and support none <strong>of</strong> this would have been<br />
achieved, particularly in such a short time.<br />
“Because all things pass and all things that happen<br />
are recounted,” as Leontios Machairas writes, the<br />
BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts and the Republic <strong>of</strong><br />
Cyprus invite you to see and hear the recital concerning<br />
the Sweet Land <strong>of</strong> Cyprus.<br />
Loukia Loizou Hadjigavriel<br />
Curator<br />
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