It will be like London without Nelson's Column or Paris sans the Eiffel Tower: Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, is about to lose its most photographed tourist attraction.

The 10-metre statue of Archbishop Makarios III will be moved to his tomb in the island's central Troodos mountains this summer. The charismatic cleric, who led the political wing of the struggle against British colonial rule, was elected the first President of Cyprus in 1959, a year before the island won independence. He remained in power through often turbulent years until he died of a heart attack in 1977.

For 21 years his bronze statue - designed and sculpted over three years in Britain by a Kensington-based Greek-Cypriot artist — has stood as a landmark in front of the Archbishop's Palace in central Nicosia. But people had long complained that the statue was too big and an “eyesore”, according to the palace's current incumbent, Archbishop Chrysostomos II.

“It will be better in the open, mountainous area of the holy Kykko monastery,” Frixos Cleanthous, his office director, told The Times. The statue is to be removed in August, when it will be replaced with a new life-sized marble statue of Makarios.

When the statue, which weighs 11 tonnes and is taller than two double-decker buses, was erected in 1987 critics complained that it was out of proportion to its surroundings and clashed with the Neo-Classical style of neighbouring buildings. The Rough Guide to Cyprus dismisses it as “downright hideous”.

Its relocation could also prove controversial. The statue, often affectionately referred to as “Big Mac”, has grown on many Nicosians in the same way that the Eiffel Tower, which was originally unloved, is now central to the identity of Paris. “It keeps alive good memories of Cyprus's best president and it's very good for the area. It's a great pity if it goes,” said Angelos Angelides, a car mechanic with premises near by.

Thousands of tourists have their photograph taken in front of the sculpture every day, and most love it. “It's really awesome, really inspiring,” said Andrew Nevin, 25, from Tennessee. “No one will see it in the mountains.”

The proprietors of neighbourhood snack bars and souvenir shops predict that its removal will affect their earnings. “Personally, I won't miss it, but my business will,” said Andreas Andreou, a kiosk-owner.

Nikos Kotziamanis, the sculptor and artist who created the statue, said that he was not consulted about its removal and feared that it could be destroyed during the move. “I don't know who gave them the impression it could just be picked up and moved to the mountains,” he told The Times.

“It has to be taken apart and put back together. There are iron structures inside which go down six or eight feet into the ground and are set in concrete. It has to be moved very carefully.”

Mr Kotziamanis said that he opposed the removal of the statue, but not because he sculpted it. “Makarios was a giant on the world stage,” he said, adding that the statue's current location was the most appropriate. “Whenever Makarios was facing difficulties, the people of Cyprus gathered at that spot to call on him to be strong and to continue the struggle for justice,” he said.

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