The winged lion is a gift from Venice, which became Larnaca's sister city. This happened relatively recently – in 2010, and the monument was installed in October 2011, so it has not yet had time to acquire legends and traditions. However, quite a lot of people want to take pictures next to it. Moreover, a road leads from it to the Church of Saint Lazarus – another attraction in this part of the city.
The sculpture turned out to be very charming, and the lion wins people over at first sight with its feline smile. Under its left front paw there is an open book, on the pages of which one can read the Latin inscription “PAX TIBI MARCE EVANGELISTA MEUS”, which in translation means “Peace to you, Mark, my Evangelist”. The mention of Mark here is no coincidence, because this lion has for centuries been considered a symbol of the Evangelist Mark. Later it became a symbol of Venice, is depicted on its coat of arms and on one part of the flag of the Venetian fleet. Many also know this symbol as one of the most prestigious awards in cinema (“Golden Lion” of the Venice Film Festival). By the way, in Venice itself, sculptures of the winged Lion of Saint Mark can be found almost at every turn. Now there is also a reminder of the floating city in Cyprus – on Larnaca's palm-lined promenade.
