Archbishop Makarios III Lyceum

Archbishop Makarios III Lyceum in Paphos is one of the cultural attractions that the visitor will find on Griva Digeni Avenue, which is the main road to the historical center of the city, as one enters Paphos from the east.

One of the many public neoclassical buildings of this street that is a jewel for the whole of Cyprus, the Archbishop Makarios III Lyceum is located in a town planning unit that was one of the first urban formations in Paphos. At this central location on the 28th October square, the complex of the buildings include Nicholaidio Gymnasium of Paphos, Dimitrios Elementary School, Propylaia of Jacovio Gymnasium, Municipal Library of Paphos and the City Hall (Town Hall of Paphos).

Under the English domination and during a transitional period for Paphos, from a rural community to an urban center, this complex of neoclassical buildings was created by three architects, admirers of neoclassicism, Andreas Hadjidimitriou, Theodore Fotiadis and Andreas Christodoulides. All three worked consecutively in time (from the late 19th to the end of the 20th century), and although the buildings were formed gradually, a uniform architecture was followed in style, in the strong local character, in the simplicity of the structures and the economy in the use of decorative morphological elements.

The Archbishop Makarios III Lyceum was built by Andreas Christodoulides in 1957-1958. He was the architect behind the formation of the Town Hall of Paphos as well and the squares of October 28 and Kostis Palamas, in collaboration with Nikolas Tsadiotis. The building has a Greek letter Π- shaped plan, while the area enclosed by the sides of the Π, has been shaped into a ceremonial hall. On the facade stand the four columns of the vestibule and a pediment.