Ancient religious relics recovered after church robberies now on display in new exhibit

The Byzantine Museum in Nicosia, Cyprus, has opened a new exhibit spotlighting early Christian relics with a distinct history.

Many of the artifacts were once stolen by looters and trafficked on the black market after a Turkish invasion in 1974, Reuters reported.

"The looting, the destruction was on a great scale… We have calculated that more than 20,000 icons have been stolen and disappeared from the churches," said Eliades.

Cyprus gained independence from British rule in 1960, but Greek-Turkish Cypriot tensions led to violence, with Turkey intervening in 1974 after a Greek-backed coup and seizing over a third of the island, according to the CIA World Factbook.

The Turkish-held north declared itself independent in 1983 but is only recognized by Turkey.

The majority of those pieces were later discovered in private collections acquired by Cyprus officials after litigation. 

Reuters contributed to this report.