The facilities of the hermitage of Saint Habakkuk were illegally erected, which, upon recommendation of the Bishop of Tamassos, were converted into the Holy Monastery of Saint Habakkuk by decision of the Holy Synod on March 21, 2022.
For two years now, processes have been underway to legalize the facilities through registration and road construction leading to the monastery.
However, they face refusal from government departments that disagree with the retroactive legalization of the monastery, which was built in an area falling under the Natura 2000 Network without conducting environmental studies.
Legal measures were taken against the Monastery, the church committee, and Archimandrite Nektarios Georgiou by the Nicosia District Administration through the Attorney General regarding the unauthorized constructions on the site.
The first inspection by an inspector from the District Administration was conducted in September 2022, and in March 2023, after a new investigation, the illegal buildings were identified, and it was found that there are no final approvals for a series of constructions, including monks’ housing areas, auxiliary spaces, warehouses, offices, etc.
On March 17, 2023, the Monastery was informed of the decision to take legal action. Eventually, in July 2023, the case was filed before the Court with 18 charges.
The trial is scheduled for March 26, 2024.
However, as Phileleftheros has been informed, shortly before the scandal that shook the Church erupted, pressure was being exerted to register the road with the aim of granting legal access to the monastery and subsequently obtaining a license.
The specific road leading to the Holy Monastery in Fterikoudi is already constructed and falls within agricultural zone G3 and protection zone Z1.
The road lies within the Special Protection Zone of the Natura 2000 Network named Madari – Papoutsa and within the Community Importance Area named Fountoukodasi Pitsilias. It also falls within a known migratory bird corridor.
In a letter dated August 2, 2022, the Nicosia District Officer requested the opinion of the Department of Environment on the issue of registering the road leading to the hermitage of Saint Habakkuk in Fterikoudi.
Responding to the letter of the District Officer on October 12, 2022, the Department of Environment emphasized that “similar residential zones are largely underutilized, and the registration of the road may contribute significantly to scattered construction outside residential zones (individual residences in agricultural zones).”
Additionally, it was noted that significant widening of the existing narrow road (2-3m) to 6m is required, as suggested by the Department of Planning and Housing, with significant construction works expected to have negative impacts on the areas of the Natura 2000 Network.
Bothered by the response, the Community Leader of Fterikoudi sent a letter to the Department of Environment on February 17, 2023, noting, among other things, that “the widening of the road is imperative for safety reasons, to avoid accidents, as there is increased traffic to the hermitage of Saint Habakkuk on a daily basis.”
The community’s request to the Department of Environment is “to allow relaxation to enable the registration and widening of the road so that every Cypriot citizen and foreigners visiting both the community and the newly established Monastery of Saint Habakkuk feel the same security as when visiting other monasteries in our Cyprus.”
On March 21, 2023, a meeting was held at the offices of the Fterikoudi Community Council regarding the registration and construction of the road leading to the hermitage of Saint Habakkuk of the Holy Metropolis of Tamassos.
Representatives from the Nicosia District Administration, the Department of Environment, the Game and Fauna Service, the Department of Planning, and a private company that conducted a topographic survey on behalf of the community participated in the meeting.
The representative of the Department of Environment clarified that, for the existing road to be registered and widened, it is necessary for the community council to prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment study and submit Form 7, which must then be evaluated and approved by the competent Environmental Authority, ensuring that the construction works for the improvement/widening of the road will not have negative impacts on the areas of the Natura 2000 Network.
The representative of the Game and Fauna Service stated that their service does not favor the registration of roads passing through Nature Protection areas, as they do not wish to create conditions encouraging residential development in these areas.
It is noted that the Nicosia District Department of Planning and Housing, in a letter dated March 21, 2023, requested opinions from relevant Departments regarding the legalization of the illegally erected cells and auxiliary spaces at the hermitage of Saint Habakkuk.
A month later, the Department of Environment informed that it has no objection to the issuance of the license.
