Lythrangomi

Lythrangomi (Greek: Λυθράγκωμη) or Boltaşlı (in Turkish) is a village in the Famagusta District of Cyprus, located on the Karpass Peninsula east of Leonarisso.

[2] The church of Panagia Kanakaria (Παναγία Κανακαριά) stands to the west of the settlement beside the road toward Famagusta.

The exact date of the mosaics is debated, but they are generally thought to belong to the sixth century and be coeval with work in Ravenna.

The best preserved is part of an Annunciation on the west face of the transverse arch, dating to about 1500 and showing Italian influence.

[9] The mosaics in the apse were stolen from the church after 1975 and some sold on the art market in the US, an event reported in the New York Times (21 July 1989) and other papers.

[11] Roys Poyiadjis, Maria Paphiti, and Dr. Andreas Pittas, were responsible for the repatriation of the stolen mosaic of St. Andrew in 2018.

Easterly view showing mosque, as seen from the grounds of Panayia Kanakaria
The church of Panagia Kanakaria, Lythrangomi, from NE, as the monument stood in 1973.
Interior looking east in 2018
Panagia Kanakaria, Lythrangomi, detail of apse mosaics in 1973.
Panagia Kanakaria, Lythrangomi, interior looking east, as the monument stood in 1973.