The site of Delos island and the Byzantine church of Daphni, both World Heritage Sites, will be provided with funding under the EU’s NSRF funds for 2014-2020, phase 2, the Finance Ministry advised. To assist in the restoration of the antiquities and the centre of archaeology, Delos will be granted 4.5 million euros from public funds.

Delos was world heritage listed for its role in early archaeology and its vital role as the Mediterranean port from the 4th to the 1st. It was an influential political force and, with being the mythological birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, an important religious centre in the Archaic and Classical periods. The island was also a major commercial and trading centre in the 2nd and 1st centuries CE.

The Daphni monastery church, built in the 11th century AD northwest of Athens, will receive 1.2 million euros to strip later additions, restore the surrounding area, prepare information brochures and hold a one-day conference to present the project.

A total of 13 million has been set aside for the protection and promotion of important antiquities listed by UNESCO, under the NSFR phase 2 program.

The Finance Ministry said the monuments listed by the UN’s cultural organisation “play an emblematic role in the value of Greek tourism because of their global recognition” and help the development of their surrounding areas through tourism.

Photos: © Ko Hon Chiu Vincent