Architect Neoptolemos Michaelides (1920-1992), is considered as one of the most significant modernist architects of Cyprus. Among other his works include private residences, blocks of flats, religious buildings, offices.
The Apostle Varnavas and Saint Makarios Church built in the 1970s is a good, but rare, example of a contemporary religious building designed to surpass the official formal and ideological restrictions set by the Orthodox Church. This building consists of three consecutive vaults of different heights. The gaps between the different heights are filled with glass, allowing natural light to enter the interior space so that natural light becomes the principal agent for the creation of a mystagogical atmosphere.
The Church is constructed in fair-faced concrete thus promoting a brutalist character. It should, however, be noted that the geometrical character of the vaults seems to refer to the design of the Carob Warehouse in Limassol. In the 1980s, when part of the entrance collapsed, the building was structurally reinforced, which significantly affected its aesthetics. The Church is presently in full operation, servicing weddings, christenings and all other religious events.
Researcher Achilleas Kenton
Function
1970 Church
2018 Church
Ownership
1970 Orthodox Church of Cyprus
2018 Orthodox Church of Cyprus
Condition
1970 Good
2018 Fair-Poor
Property Management
1970
2018
Form of government
1970 Presidential Republic (Republic of Cyprus)
2018 Presidential Republic (Republic of Cyprus)
Spatial Planning Agency
1970 Ministry of Interior
2018 Ministry of Interior
Type of heritage and protection
1970 Local monument
2018 Local monument
Interview with Costas Georgiou
Architect and city planner