As from 11th December the 9.5m bronze statue of Archbishop Makarios has been relocated to the Troodos Mountains, set in a clearing against a pine-covered mound, it overlooks the endless contours of the mountains and is visible as one climbs the road to the Throni from the Kykko Monastery, where he set out as a novice monk to become the founder of the Cyprus Republic. The statue originally sat in front of the Archbishopric in Nicosia and the decision for its removal by the present head of the church Archbishop ChrysostomosII was not a popular decision, to make matters worse the statue was severed from its base in the process. The re-siting was overseen by the original sculptor Nicos Kotziamanis, who flew in from London to supervise the whole operation. With help from specialists from the UK the base of the 12-ton statue was welded back on. The sculpture was placed in front of the Archbishopric in 1985, becoming a tourist attraction of the capital.