80s music icon Boy George has promised to return a very different kind of icon to it’s rightful place – the Church of Cyprus.

Boy George, 49 bought the religious depiction of Christ from a London art dealer at the height of his career in 1985. Unbeknownst to him the precious icon had actually been stolen from the Church of St Charalambos during the Turkish invasion in 1974.

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“I’m happy it is going back to its original, rightful home. I’ve always been a friend of Cyprus and have looked after the icon for 26 years.”

“I look forward to seeing the icon on display in Cyprus for the moment and finally to the Church of St Charalambos from where it was illegally stolen.”

The goodwill gesture came about after the icon was identified by Cyprus Orthodox Church’s representative in Brussels, Bishop Porfyrios of Neapolis while he was watching a television interview held at Boy George’s home.

Porfyrios told the BBC’s PM show “On left side of fireplace at his house during the interview we located in Boy George’s living room an icon of the Jesus Christ Pantokrator.”

The New Chorio-Kythrea village, home to St Charalambos, then provided evidence to prove that the icon had originated from there.