Monument of the Diocese of Sikinos: Winner of the Europa Nostra European Heritage Award

This year, which marks the 20th anniversary of Europe's top cultural heritage awards, 30 outstanding achievements from 18 European countries in 5 categories are being honoured. The latter are fully in line with the latest developments and priorities set by Europe in terms of cultural heritage policies and practices. One of the eight European prizes in the category of Conservation is awarded to Greece for the consolidation and restoration of the Bishop's Monument in Sikinos.

The winners will be honoured on 26 September in Prague at the European Heritage Awards ceremony, which will take place in the newly renovated State Opera House, hosted by the European Union Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Ms Mariya Gabriel, and the President of the Europa Nostra Executive Board, Dr Hermann Parzinger.

Following the announcement of the winners for 2022, European Union Commissioner Mariya Gabriel said: «I warmly congratulate all the winners of this year's European Heritage Awards/Europa Nostra Awards for the excellent quality of their work and for opening up their work to innovation. 2022 is a special year, as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage, which has become the most prominent prize in the circles of the European community supporting cultural heritage. Many of the winning initiatives demonstrate the huge interest and commitment of young people to our heritage, history and cultural identity, which is particularly relevant to this year's European Year of Youth. A special thought accompanies the two Ukrainian winners. The «Creative Europe» programme, which co-funds the Awards, highlights the idea of promoting culture and creativity in building inclusive and cohesive societies based on core European values».

Europa Nostra Executive Board President Dr Hermann Parzinger said: «This year's award winners are powerful examples of how our cultural heritage reconnects us with nature, helps create a sense of place and belonging, and is an integral building block for the development of a circular economy that supports a sustainable and inclusive way of life. I congratulate these excellent winners - professionals and enthusiasts - for their substantial and commendable work«.

Monument of the Diocese of Sikinos

The monument of the Bishopric of Sikinos, one of the smallest islands of the Cyclades, is a Roman mausoleum that was rebuilt in the 3rd century AD and has been preserved almost intact until today due to its conversion into a Byzantine church with uninterrupted use. The ancient structure is combined with successive interventions during the Middle Ages and modern times, offering a unique palimpsest of historical periods that is rarely preserved in other cases of ancient monuments.

Severely damaged by devastating earthquakes and human intervention over the centuries, the monument was abandoned in the 20th century. The Ephorate of Cyclades Antiquities decided in 2016 to restore it and reopen it to the public. The restoration study was undertaken by the scientific staff of the Ephorate, an undertaking supported by the Hellenic Society for the Environment and Culture and the A. & M. Martinou Foundation, which funded the structural and geotechnical study. The overall restoration project of the monument was financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the South Aegean Region.

The impressive ancient mausoleum, created in the transitional centuries of Late Antiquity, has been a landmark for the island of Sikinos throughout time. The archaeological research carried out during the restoration of the monument has enriched our knowledge of Roman burial monuments in the Eastern Mediterranean region, as well as of Byzantine temple architecture in the Cyclades. During the restoration of the diocese, valuable evidence of the past was uncovered, such as inscriptions and fragments of Roman and Byzantine frescoes, for the preservation of which a microclimate monitoring system was installed. The most important find was the hermetically sealed, unmarked tomb of an upper-class woman named «Neiko».

The community of Sikinos, dedicated to the restoration of the monument of the Diocese, provided every support for the implementation of the project. With the building closed to the public for half a century, the local community hopes to restore its vital link with the emblematic monument, first by reviving the annual celebration of 15 August and then by launching cultural activities in collaboration with the Ephorate of Cyclades Antiquities in this unparalleled archaeological site.

«This project combined methodical research with meticulous conservation that resulted in a high quality restoration of the monument. The Bishop's monument is an outstanding cultural landmark of which the small island community is particularly proud. During the restoration work on the monument it was sought to reuse original architectural elements as far as possible and to incorporate stones recovered from its surroundings. The combination of architectural elements of a Roman mausoleum with those of a Byzantine church creates a unique monument that is simply captivating», said the Jury of the Award Committee.