APAC Labs donates 3D Replica of UNESCO Chapel to the Church of Cyprus

The Cyprus Institute and the Andrea Pittas Art Characterization Laboratories of STARC donated to the Archbishopric of the Church of Cyprus a 3D physical replica of the UNESCO-listed Painted Church of St. Nicholas of the Roof. Archbishop of Cyprus Georgios received the replica expressing his appreciation and interest in the interdisciplinary work of STARC and APAC Labs.

The model will be used to enhance the experience of visitors to the sites as well as to enrich the learning experience of students. The 3D replica offers models of the roof, the external, the internal and a section of the church. It helps users to touch the models and to explore their physical features thus improving accessibility to the world-class monument. Additionally, braille boards and QR codes provide extra explicatory material and guidance to visually impaired visitors. 

The production of the replica was possible in the framework of the Invisible Heritage - Analysis and Technology (IH-AT) project which provided multidisciplinary approaches to the UNESCO-listed churches through a wide array of digital non-destructive technologies used to analyze their structures and lost features (http://ihat.cyi.ac.cy).

The IH-AT project was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the Republic of Cyprus through the Research and Innovation Foundation, with the support of the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus, the School of the Blind “Agios Varnavas” of Nicosia. The informative boards featuring braille signs were designed and manufactured with the financial support of the Embassy of Italy in Cyprus.