A village priest accused of disturbing the peace with prolonged and too loud church bell ringing appeared before the Nicosia District Court on Tuesday facing a total of 20 charges.

The charges include noise pollution, public nuisance, and using a loudspeaker without a permit, but also complaints for holding services at erratic times and not properly managing access to the church.

Father Georgios Kourris of Platanistasa, a quiet mountain village in the Nicosia district, stood before the court after an unusual but increasingly bitter row involving the bell of the Archangel Michael Church.

The charges relate to an incident on July 14, 2024, when he is alleged to have used loudspeakers to amplify the sound of the church bell without the necessary permit, causing significant nuisance to residents.

Prosecutors claim that Father Georgios misused his clerical privilege, allegedly using the church bell not for worship but for personal retaliation.

According to the indictment, he rang the bell for an extended period and used sound equipment to make it louder, reportedly to irritate the village’s community leader, Savvas Savvides, following a dispute.

The priest faces charges for both using sound-amplifying equipment without authorisation, which resulted in a public nuisance, and for disturbing the peace during a time when residents were exercising their common rights, such as rest, work and public movement.

While church bells are traditionally part of daily life in Cypriot villages, residents complained that the noise in this case far exceeded normal practice.

Police investigations began after repeated complaints from villagers, and recordings presented to the authorities allegedly showed the bell ringing for an unusually long time.

Represented by his lawyer in court on Tuesday, Father Georgios denied all accusations. He did not enter a plea but stated that he did not admit to the charges. The court has scheduled the full hearing for October 20.

Two police officers who handled the original complaints are expected to be the prosecution’s first witnesses.

Father Georgios remains in place while legal proceedings are ongoing.