Larnaca: A bronze mini-sculpture of 18th-century Kyiv traveller Vasyl Hryhorovych-Barsky, who left one of the most detailed early descriptions of Cyprus, has been unveiled in Larnaca as a gift to the city from the Ukrainian community.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Barsky, known in Greek as Vasileios Grigorovits Barsky, travelled across Cyprus on foot, lived on the island and recorded its daily life, landscapes, and people in rare detail. His notes are still considered among the most valuable primary sources on Cyprus of that period.
The sculpture was created with the support of Obiimy Cyprus and Sushko Philanthropy and installed as part of the Ukrainian project 'Shukai!', which has been telling the story of Kyiv through bronze mini-sculptures for almost ten years. The Larnaca sculpture is the first under the project to be installed outside Ukraine.
Anna Sushko, co-founder of Obiimy Cyprus and Sushko Philanthropy, stated that Cyprus had become a second home for many Ukrainians, adding that the initiative was a way of giving something back to the city that welcomed them.
Deputy Mayor of Larnaca Iasonas Iasonidis welcomed the contribution of the Ukrainian community to the city's social, economic, and cultural life.
Barsky, who lived from 1701 to 1747, left Kyiv on foot in 1724 and travelled for 24 years, visiting Cyprus five times and accompanying his notes with his own drawings.
The sculpture is open to the public at Obiimy Cyprus, at 12 Grigori Afxentiou Street in Larnaca, daily from 10:00 to 17:00.