Fatto senza mani: rilievo, storia e valorizzazione del monastero di Panagia Acheiropoietos, Cipro. Made without hands: survey, history and valorisation of the monastery of Panagia Acheiropoietos, Cyprus

This article concerns a case study from the north of Cyprus, a territory that is quite conflictive in terms of both the documentation and restoration of Cultural Heritage. Historical documentation, the study of masonry types and mortars, archival investigation, and architectural survey with support from advanced digital techniques was accompanied with on field research so as to obtain an unitary overview of the building. The documentation identified the various construction phases and this was used, together with the few documentary sources available, in order to reconstruct the complex history of the architectural structure, while establishing links with the local authorities, the UNDP and the Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage. The surveys were aimed at acquiring the necessary documentation, in a context that has not been much studied, so as to avoid a neglectful management to put the historical memory of the monument at risk. The intervention on Cultural Heritage assets in Cyprus is more difficult than in other European countries, due to the complex political situation of the island: any intervention on the Built Heritage is, in fact, at risk of being contested politically. These early surveys and documentation are therefore intended as a first level of knowledge, useful for guiding future restoration and project choices, in addition to facilitating the interpretation of the various historical phases for this part of the island of Cyprus.