Archbishop's Palace & Makarios III Cultural Foundation

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The Archbishop's Palace, which is only open to the public on special occasions, was completed just after Cyprus' independence in 1960. A 10m-high bronze statue of Archbishop Makarios III, the island's first president, was replaced in November 2008 with a more modest version. The cultural complex consists of three exhibition areas; by far the most interesting is the Byzantine Art Museum, which houses the largest collection of icons on the island. The European Art Gallery displays 17th-century European paintings (mostly religious) of the Spanish, Dutch and Flemish schools. The Greek Independence Gallery features maps, copper engravings and paintings of personalities and events from the 1821 Greek War of Independence.