A study is starting to preserve the Church of St. George of the Greeks in Famagusta.
According to Sotiris Ktoris, co-chair of the Bicommunal Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage, the preservation and restoration study will begin soon.
This church was built in the 14th century, west of an older church also named St. George. Historical records show that the Greek Orthodox community wanted to create a grand cathedral to rival the Latin Cathedral of St. Nicholas, now known as the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque.
The building faced heavy damage during the Ottoman siege of Famagusta in the 16th century. You can still see cannon fire marks on its exterior walls today.
In later centuries, much of the walled city was left behind. The church was sometimes used as a shooting range. Sailors arriving at the port would carve designs of their ships into its walls, adding a unique historical touch.
