Newsroom
Free parking is coming to an end at a church car park in Strovolos, with drivers set to pay €2 a day from next Monday.
The new charge will apply from September 21 at the car park of the Church of Saint Barnabas and Saint Makarios, according to an announcement issued by the Christian Women’s Association.
The car park will operate from 5am until 9pm, with the €2 fee applying to daily parking.
The notice also states that motorists use the facility at their own risk. The church says it will not accept responsibility for accidents or damage involving vehicles parked on the premises. The announcement has also been issued in English.
From free parking to a €2 fee
The new arrangement quickly became a talking point online after the announcement was shared on social media.
One citizen questioned whether it is legal for a church to charge motorists for parking and asked where people should turn if the practice is found not to be lawful.
The question prompted a flood of comments, with social media users taking very different positions.
Some defended the decision, arguing that church committees are responsible for managing church property and covering the costs associated with maintaining it.
Others questioned the purpose of the car park, arguing that it should primarily benefit people attending the church rather than commuters who leave their cars there while heading to work elsewhere.
The discussion also turned into a debate over Church finances, with some commenters claiming that church employees' salaries are ultimately funded through taxpayers' money. Others rejected that claim, saying priests' salaries are paid through the central church fund of the Archbishopric, funded by contributions from churches and dioceses, while the state also provides an annual subsidy linked to church land transferred to the state.
And, as is often the case when a new charge appears, the internet supplied plenty of sarcasm, including jokes about whether motorists will be able to pay by Visa.
For drivers who have been relying on the car park as a free place to leave their vehicles, however, the message is simple: from September 21, parking will cost €2 a day.
