Presidential Palace, Nicosia: Official Residence of Cyprus’s President
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 3.8
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Cyprus
- Primary era
- Modern
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Modern
- Civilizations
- British
- Site type
- Civic
- Remains
- Palace
On this page14 sections
History
The Presidential Palace is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the Republic of Cyprus. Built under British rule between 1932 and 1937, the palace combines Byzantine, Gothic, and Turkish architectural references drawn from historic buildings in Cyprus.
The first Government residence
The first government residence on the site was a prefabricated wooden building erected in November 1878 on a location known as Snake Hill. Tradition associates the hill with a camp established by Richard I of England, commonly known as Richard the Lionheart, the twelfth-century king who took part in the Third Crusade.
The structure had been shipped from England by the War Office for use in Ceylon, but it was diverted to Cyprus when it was no longer required there. It arrived at Larnaca and was transported to Nicosia in boxes carried by camels. Garnet Wolseley, the first British High Commissioner, initially lived at a dependency of Kikkos Monastery in Engomi before moving into the wooden Commissioner’s House. In 1925, the residence was renamed Government House.
Destruction and reconstruction
Government House burned during the Cyprus disturbances of October 1931. On 21 December that year, Governor Sir Ronald Storrs enacted a special law requiring Greek Cypriot inhabitants to finance its replacement. The authorities demanded £34,315 by 30 June 1932, including £14,000 from Nicosia, £5,500 from Limassol, £5,000 from Famagusta, £2,000 from Larnaca, £500 from Paphos, and £6,315 from villages throughout the island.
Maurice Webb of Sir Aston Webb & Sons of Westminster, London, designed the new building. Construction was carried out by J. V. Hamilton and L. F. Weldon of the Nicosia Public Works Department. Work began in 1932, ended in 1937, and cost £70,000.
From Government House to Presidential Palace
When Cyprus became independent from British rule in 1960, Government House was renamed the Presidential Palace of the Republic of Cyprus. On 15 July 1974, during the coup against President Makarios III, an Orthodox archbishop and the first president of independent Cyprus, the National Guard and EOKA-B attacked and set the palace on fire. The blaze destroyed its contents and badly damaged the structure, although the walls survived. Makarios escaped through a small door on the western side of the perimeter.
The Public Works Department and Philippou Brothers rebuilt the palace in 1977 with financial assistance from the Greek government. It has served as the president’s office and residence since 1979. A 2010 environmental upgrade added solar panels in the car park, a new ventilation system, and replacement windows to reduce carbon emissions. A further hall was built for Cyprus’s presidency of the rotating Council of the European Union in 2012. On 1 October 2013, during the fifty-third anniversary of independence, President Nicos Anastasiades unveiled the emblem of the Republic of Cyprus on the façade. The British coat of arms remained at the centre, with the Cypriot emblem positioned above it.
Remains
Layout and construction
Set among dense pine woodland, the palace has a total floor area of 2,244 square metres. Three connected sections create a U-shaped plan open to the south. A two-storey central block faces north, while single-storey wings extend on either side. A tower rises from the centre of the main block beneath a domed roof. The principal entrance has a vaulted roof form, and arcades articulate the south façade of the central block and both wings.
Building materials
The main structure is built from pale grey-yellow, porous Gerolakkos sandstone. Harder sandstone from Limassol was used for the staircases, while limestone from the Limassol area supplied interior elements such as fireplaces. Timber came from Cypriot forests, including eucalyptus, pine, plane, cypress, walnut, and mulberry, as well as from Burma and Canada.
Architectural references
The design draws on Byzantine, Gothic, and Turkish elements associated with characteristic Cypriot buildings. The ground-floor columns were based on those of Aheiropoiitos Monastery near Lapithos. Designs linked with Kythrea, Lamboussa, and Nicosia influenced the carved capitals and column bases, while the proportions of the tower came from Kolossi Castle. The original proposal called for a pyramidal tiled roof over the tower, but this was changed to a dome for practical reasons and to introduce a Byzantine feature.
Entrances and interior decoration
Principal entrance
The principal entrance door was modelled on the door of the Monastery of Saint Chrysostom in the Pentadaktylos range. Each panel contains at least 288 small pieces of wood from six different trees. The pieces were joined without nails or screws to help prevent warping.
Interior craftsmanship
The roof beams are carved, and the roof mats are of Cypriot origin. Supports for beams in the principal rooms were salvaged from the earlier house that had been demolished. Some interior features, particularly the staircase to the upper floor, reproduce ancient artefacts. The curtains were hand-embroidered with Cypriot decorative motifs.
Sculpture and the European Union presidency hall
Figures and gargoyles
Sculptural figures on the south side relate to the building’s construction. They represent the general foreman, head carpenter, and an unidentified labourer. Four further figures depict characteristic Cypriot animals: an ox, donkey, camel, and sheep. Four human-headed gargoyles, projecting architectural ornaments traditionally used as water outlets, represent construction personnel including the British general foreman, head mason, head carpenter, and an unidentified labourer.
Presidency hall
The hall constructed for Cyprus’s 2012 presidency of the Council of the European Union accommodates 500 people, or 300 when tables are arranged inside.
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