Fragments of Massive Ancient Statues Unearthed at Apollo Sanctuary in Nicosia

Archaeologists have uncovered a large number of statue fragments at the site of the Apollo sanctuary in Frangissa, located in the Pera Orinis area of Nicosia district. The discovery was made at the close of the 2024 excavation season, led by teams from the Universities of Frankfurt and Kiel/Würzburg as part of ongoing research into the sanctuary.

According to a press release from the Department of Antiquities, German archaeologist Max Ohnefalsch-Richter first excavated the area in 1885. He discovered a richly decorated rural sanctuary dedicated to Apollo near the ancient city of Tamassos. The site, later named Frangissa, contained hundreds of statues — some of them of colossal size. Over time, however, the sanctuary was completely buried, and its exact location was forgotten.

Now, nearly 140 years later, the site is once again being studied. In 2021, a team of German archaeologists resumed the search for the lost sanctuary. After extensive efforts, the exact location was rediscovered last year through two small exploratory trenches. This season, a more thorough excavation was carried out, revealing the walls of the sanctuary’s courtyard and more than 100 statue bases, including several of extraordinary size.

According to the archaeologists, the newly discovered fragments “significantly expand our knowledge of this sacred site.” Some of these pieces may help reconstruct statues currently held in the Cyprus Museum and the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. Ongoing study of the finds promises to shed light on ancient ritual practices and the spatial organization of the sanctuary.