The Church of the Holy Cross of Tochnis is virtually coming back to life

Another project of 3D virtual restoration of ancient monuments is added to the portfolio of the eponymous initiative of ETAP Larnaka and Youth Makerspace Larnaka to enable the public to get closer to the history of Larnaca, through a more modern approach, where technology and innovation combine with historical research and the rich history of the Region. The first projects concerned the ancient Port of Kiti and the Neolithic Settlement of Kalavasos-Tendas, while the new monument that was virtually restored is the Church of the Holy Cross in Tochni, which was done in collaboration with the Holy Metropolis of Trimythoundos.

The mentioned video shows the depiction of the temple during the 12th-14th centuries. It is a Gothic style church which is connected to the passage of Saint Helen in Cyprus and is located opposite the Holy Church of Saints Constantine and Helen in the core of the village of Tochnis.

The church complex is a complex of two buildings, the southern Byzantine temple and the northern temple which is an important historical building of the 14th century. It is noted that the three-dimensional graphic, interpretative restoration of the twin temples of the Holy Cross Tochnis is hypothetical based on the floor plan only for the transparent indicative rendering of the southern temple. The final result of the northern temple is the result of a study to fill in the missing elements, based on sufficient surviving remains, which were mapped with millimeter accuracy. The completion of the missing parts was done with metric precision and the result coincides with and is confirmed by the known published morphology of the temple preserved in Camille Enlart’s plan of 1896, with a hypothetical representation of elements of the south side.

The video also presents important collections and great works of the 16th century, by the great hagiographer of the era, Loukas Tohnitis, such as the enthroned Virgin Mary and the Epitaph, St. John the Theologian as well as the rare Double-Faced Cross. From the same period, the gospel is presented, which is the most ancient archetype preserved and which is now kept in the Holy Church of Ag. Constantine’s and Helen’s.

For the implementation of the project, the knowledge of the scientific team of the Holy Metropolis of Trimythoundos and other collaborators was utilized. Supporters of the project were the Deputy Ministry of Tourism and the Department of Antiquities.