The icon of Agios Giorgios which was stolen from the village of Karavas, in Cyprus during the 1974 Turkish invasion, will soon be returned back home to Cyprus.
The icon which portrays Saint George killing the dragon and is surrounded by 16 smaller images depicting scenes from the Saint’s miracles and his martyrdom, was confiscated by the Swiss authorities hours before it was set to be sold off at an auction house in Koller, Zurich.
This comes after legal proceedings and cooperation between the Church of Cyprus, the embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Italy and the Swiss authorities.
His Eminence Bishop Porphyrios of Neapolis learned about the auctioning and sent a letter in August 2017 to the chief of the Cyprus police informing them about the situation, who then contacted Interpol, asking them for the icon to be withdrawn and returned.
The icon is now in the hand of Cypriot officials in Switzerland.