Exhumation at Saint Nicholas cemetery in Limassol to identify poet Vasilis Michaelides

On Thursday, July 9, 2026, an exhumation process began at the Saint Nicholas cemetery in Limassol to locate and identify the remains of Cypriot national poet Vasilis Michaelides. The operation follows a second court order issued by the Limassol District Court on July 2, 2026, requested by the Vasilis Michaelides Writers' Association of Limassol and relatives of the poet. A scientific team consisting of an anthropologist, historians, and archaeologists is conducting the work. During the excavation, parts of a spinal column were discovered and will undergo DNA analysis. Dr. Marios Kariolou from the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics provided updated scientific protocols for the identification process. Funding issues were resolved with the support of Limassol Mayor Yiannis Armeftis. A previous attempt to identify the remains took place on January 20, 2024, but did not yield results. The current process aims to resolve a matter that has remained open for decades.