Swords drawn over illegal Ayia Napa monastery
Architects and engineers involved in the construction of a monastery at the environmentally protected Natura 2000 site in Cape Greco will appear before a disciplinary board.
environmental scandal
Greens call on church to halt building on Natura 2000 site
Fact: The Cyprus church is ignoring government warnings about illegal monastery-building works in the environmentally-protected Cape Greco area.
Monastery implicated in environmental scandal
The Osiou Avakoum monastery was implicated in an environmental scandal for being built on land protected under the Natura 2000 environmental policy. Legal action has been taken against the monastery, the church committee, and Archimandrite Nektarios Georgiou for unauthorized constructions on the site. Investigations revealed illegal constructions and a lack of final approvals for various buildings. The monastery, constructed in 2020, is also under police investigation for claims of financial extortion.