The story of Tassoula Hadjittofi is a special chapter in the history of Cyprus, since for almost three decades, this woman was dedicated to the preservation of the cultural heritage of her homeland, knowing the special place that these images hold in the hearts of Orthodox Christians, she said tonight. Minister of Foreign Affairs Konstantinos Petridis, in a greeting at the presentation of Ms.'s book. Hadjittofi entitled: “The Image Hunter”.
As the Minister stressed, the repatriation of heirlooms is neither a simple nor an easy affair as the dangers are many and he added that the life of Mrs. Hadjittofi has repeatedly been in danger and even today he continues to receive threats.
“She herself, with enviable courage, fighting spirit, patience and perseverance, managed to bring back to our place a part of our stolen treasures and has every right to feel proud, like all those who contributed to this achievement,” she said.
Mr. Petridis also referred to the decision of Mrs. Hadjittofi to establish the “Walk of Truth”, an institution dedicated to the fight against antiquities smuggling.
“The” Image Hunter “honors Cyprus and all Cypriots, refugees and non-refugees. I believe that we all owe her a big thank you, a warm thank you for this great work, which is a legacy for us and the next generations “, he stressed.
YPOIK continued by saying that the effort, not only for the rescue but also for the preservation of our cultural heritage, is a great struggle and as long as there are people like Tasoula Hadjittofi, who dare and take risks in order to defend the law, this struggle will is getting stronger and stronger.
With her action, Mrs. Hadjittofi managed to assist in the dismantling of the Munich circuit in 1997, the arrest of a Turkish antiquities smuggler and the discovery of 5,500 stolen items, icons and relics.
This is one of the most important arrests in the history of illegal trafficking of works of art in Europe, after the Second World War. It is estimated that three hundred and fifty works were Cypriot, but only two hundred and sixty returned. Among them is the mosaic of the Apostle Thomas from the church of Panagia Kanakaria, which is on display today, along with other relics that were repatriated, to the Byzantine Museum of Nicosia.
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