Christodoulos Agridiotis

Kyriakos Agridiotis & Sons Ltd Family

Woodcarver

©K. Agridiotis & Sons

Byzantine and Baroque style wood carving

Christodoulos specialises in making iconostasis and ecclesiastical furniture
His works are found in churches in Cyprus, Greece and the UK
He inherited his craft and workshop from his father, Kyriakos

Christodoulos Agridiotis learned wood carving from his father Kyriakos, who established his workshop in 1970 in north Nicosia. After the Turkish invasion in 1974, the family moved the workshop to Latsia, where Christodoulos works with his brother. They design and make iconostasis and other woodcraft from scratch, until the last touch during installation. The wood-carved, gold-leaf highchair where Pope Benedict XVI sat during his Cyprus visit came out from their workshop and makes them truly proud. Agridiotis brothers stick to tradition, using the techniques learned from the masters but they do not stop there. They add their own vision and imagination and move on, along with their craft.

Interview

©K. Agridiotis & Sons

How did you get involved with wood carving?: My father was my first teacher. Ever since we were little boys, we would practice in our father’s workshop, experimenting with his tools. I made my first wooden car at the age of 7. The workshop was our playground and then it became our workplace.
Do you have a specialisation in your art and techniques?: Wood carving is a traditional artwork. We usually apply Byzantine and Baroque decorative techniques. Our workshop is known for our iconostasis and all the surrounding ecclesiastical furniture we create from scratch, from their design on paper until their final installation.
What does "well made" mean to you?: Well-made suggests something that was designed and carved with attention to detail, which is also durable to withstand the years without looking and feeling aged. Therefore, we use only certain types of wood for carving that last throughout the centuries.
Do you think wood carving will survive as a craft?: Though new technology has entered our field and threatens it, the unique result of hand carving cannot be replaced. This is why our work is not only found in churches, but we also undertake decorative carvings for houses, hotels and cafes.

Christodoulos Agridiotis is an expert artisan: he began his career in 1992