Stolen Cypriot icons found and confiscated by Swiss police

Two stolen Cypriot icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary, from the chapel of St. Iacovos (14th century) in the Turkish occupied Cypriot village of Trikomo, have been found and confiscated by the Swiss police.

According to the Office of Monuments and Art of the Church of Cyprus, the Swiss Police authorities conducted last month an investigation into buildings of Russian collector Alexander Khochinskiy, in Zurich, where they found and confiscated the two icons, painted by Meletios in 1620.

In 2004 the Swiss state ratified the UNESCO agreements (1970) and the Hague Agreement. The agreements came into force in 2005 and their provisions prohibited the sale of stolen cultural treasures. This development is seen as crucial to the process of repatriating these images and giving them back to the Cypriot Church, their legal owner and holder.

The Office of Monuments and Art of the Church of Cyprus said that the so-called authorities of the illegal Turkish Cypriot regime are using the chapel as a tourist office.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Hundreds of religious and archaeological artifacts have been stolen from the occupied areas, many of which have found their way in the black market. Some have been repatriated, others are still in the hands of illegal art dealers.