Makarios

Makarios III, commonly known as Archbishop Makarios III, was a prominent Cypriot cleric and statesman who played a central role in the island’s mid-20th-century history. He served as Archbishop of Cyprus from the late 1940s until his death in 1977 and acted as the first President of the Republic of Cyprus from independence in 1960 until his death.

Born in 1913 in Cyprus, Makarios pursued religious education on the island and at the University of Athens. He was ordained as a priest in the 1930s and rose to leadership within the Cypriot Orthodox Church, becoming archbishop in the late 1940s. His position made him a key figure in Cypriot nationalism and the movement for self-government under British rule.

During the late 1950s, British authorities exiled Makarios to the Seychelles, a tactic to weaken the Cypriot independence movement. He returned to Cyprus in 1959, and with independence achieved the following year, he became the country’s first president. The 1960 constitution established a bi-communal state with power-sharing between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, a framework Makarios sought to maintain while pursuing relations with Greece, Western powers, and the broader international community.

His presidency faced ongoing intercommunal tensions and external pressures. In 1974, a coup d’état in Nicosia, supported by the Greek military junta, was followed by a Turkish invasion, leading to the island’s division. Makarios remained president until his death in 1977, a period marked by efforts to stabilize the state and navigate complex regional dynamics.

Makarios’ legacy is that of a foundational figure in modern Cyprus, shaping both its national identity and the ongoing Cyprus dispute, and he remains a central reference in discussions of Cypriot politics and diplomacy.