Hundreds gathered at Saint Barbara’s in Kaimakli on Friday for the funeral of writer, publisher and restaurateur Vasos Ftochopoulos, who died last week at the age of 76.

The congregation included figures from culture, journalism, theatre and literature alongside members of the public who came to pay their respects.

Funeral speeches were delivered by former education minister Prodromos Prodromou and author Giorgos Karambelias.

Ftochopoulos was born in 1950 in Karpasia and left Yialousa as a child when his family moved to London, later settling in Thessaloniki where he became involved in political and social life.

He went on to found Aegeon publications and ran the Aegeon tavern in Nicosia, a venue that grew into what friends described as an ‘artistic and intellectual meeting point’.

Those who knew him spoke of a man defined by a sharp wit and an unwillingness to be silenced.

His journalistic career began with a brief spell writing for Politis before establishing his own newspaper Enosis.

Friends also recalled his readiness to welcome those on the margins of society, including minorities and others who struggled to find acceptance at the time.

“Vasos opened the door and embraced them,” Prodromou said, adding that such an attitude “was not fashionable” in that period.

His publishing catalogue included titles such as “Like a Rolling Stone” and “I Will Go to My Mother”, alongside hundreds of other books and magazines produced over a career spanning decades.