Greek Culture Ministry Hands Over Restored Sikinos Monument

Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni speaking in front of the restored Monument of Episkopi on the island of Sikinos. Photo source: Culture Ministry

The President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, attended a special ceremony for the presentation of the restored Monument of Episkopi on the island of Sikinos, which also received a European Heritage / Europa Nostra award in the category of conservation and adaptive reuse.

Europa Nostra Secretary General Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović presented the award in the presence of Culture Minister Lina Mendoni.

“I am very pleased because this monument was restored in the best possible way. Our goal is to carry out as many projects as possible,” said Mendoni, adding that culture projects contribute to the development perspective of destinations.

Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni. Photo source: Culture Ministry

“Resources are allocated to local communities and new jobs are created during the construction period of the projects but also during their operation,” she said.

Situated on remote island of Sikinos, the monument of Episkopi is a Roman mausoleum dating back to the 3rd century which was converted into a Byzantine church and survived intact offering valuable insight into several historic periods.

Monument of Episkopi, Sikinos, Greece. Photo Credits: Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades, Athanasios Kartsoglou, 2022. Source: Europa Nostra

In 2016, the Cyclades Ephorate of Antiquities restored the monument which has been impacted by earthquakes and human interventions and later abandoned.

Discoveries made during restoration works at Episkopi include inscriptions and remnants of Roman and Byzantine murals as well as a sealed grave of a high-ranking female named ‘Neiko’ dating back to the 3rd century.

The restoration project cost a total of 1 million euros and was covered by EU recovery and resilience funds and by the South Aegean Region.

“This project combined meticulous research with cautious conservation, resulting in a high-quality restoration. The monument of Episkopi is a cultural landmark and a source of pride for this small island community. Building materials were reused as much as possible and new masonry was incorporated using locally collected stones. The combination of architectural elements of a Roman mausoleum in a Byzantine church forms a unique monument that is simply striking,” said the Europa Nostra Awards judging committee.

The 2022 winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards will be celebrated on September 26 in Prague during a special ceremony at the State Opera.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the awards