Church of Ayios Procopios, Cyprus Desecrated after the 1974 Turkish Occupation
Ayios Procopios, a Byzantine church of the 11th or 12th century situated in the village of Synkrasi, in the Famagusta district, in the Republic of Cyprus, was desecrated after the military had occupied the region by force. The iconostasis was destroyed and the portable icons were stolen. The church is today a refuge for birds.
The 1974 Turkish invasion, when Turkey occupied almost 40% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus is unprecedented. The population of Cyprus still experiences several restrictions such as the impossibility to worship in the village church and to tend the family graves. Source: http://www.moi.gov.cy/moi/pio/pio.nsf/All/B9BE36B80832A97CC225759400247A9C/$file/The%20loss%20of%20a%20civilisation,%20Destruction%20of%20Cultural%20Heritage%20in%20Occupied%20Cyprus%20%282.17%20MB,%202010%29.pdf