A mosaic of St. Mark, dated at 550 AD and considered one of the most beautiful pieces of Byzantine art stolen from Cyprus, returned to its home. It was recovered due to the efforts of Dutch art investigator, Arthur Brand. He is widely known as the ‘Indiana Jones of the art world’ because of his endeavours to bring back stolen or lost works of art.
The mosaic went missing in 1974 from the church of Panaya Kanakaria after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. After receiving tip-offs from various sources, Mr Brand traced it to a British family that was horrified to learn that it was looted and agreed to return it. The mosaic is valued between 5 and 10 million euros.
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