Archbishop Makarios III, not quite what I expected

We don't usually associate Europe with religious leaders, but then Cyprus is just a little different. Never let it be said that 'Liberal Bureaucracy' isn't willing to go that extra mile for a good story though.

In this instance, Ros drove the extra mile that brought us to Panagia, a village on the edge of the Troodos Mountains in western Cyprus, which is the birthplace of Cyprus's first President. Our original plan had been to weave our way through the mountains but, after I'd found absolutely no sign of the scheduled turning, we were heading for the monastery at Kykkos when we came to a road junction unmarked on our maps. As it indicated a route to Panagia, we reverted to plan A.

Panagia is a traditional place, with elderly Cypriot men sitting outside bars, talking and killing the hours. They've probably earned it, as the terrain is tough and opportunities few, available only by dint of hard graft. It is therefore perhaps an unlikely place for a spiritual and political leader to be born but this was where the man imprisoned and exiled by the British, and the subject of an assassination attempt by Greek Cypriots seeking to unify the island with Greece, came from.

Makarios was a vague memory from my childhood, but he was clearly no ordinary man. He studied theology at Boston University before returning to become a key figure in the independence movement. The British realised just how influential he was, and exiled him to the Seychelles before acknowledging his authority and bringing him back for negotiations.

A master at playing off competing interests, he resisted absorption into Greece whilst giving every indication that he supported it, until 1974 when, with the Generals in charge in Athens, a coup attempt was launched. Whilst it failed, and Makarios survived, it was sufficient provocation for the Turks, whose invasion still leaves the island divided in two today.

His birthplace is rather humble, although clearly cared for, and tourists flock to the small building in order to learn more about one of Europe's forgotten, but key, figures.

If you do happen to be in the area, you might want to drop in. Besides, the views will take your breath away...