Erasmia "Mimi" Kyprianou (; 1932 – November 22, 2021) was the inaugural

First Lady of Cyprus First Lady of Cyprus refers to the wife of the president of Cyprus. The country's current first lady is Philippa Karsera, a career diplomat and wife of President Nikos Christodoulides, who has held the position since 2023. First ladies of Cyprus ...

from 1977 to 1988 during the

presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...

of her husband,

Spyros Kyprianou Spyros Achilleos Kyprianou (; 28 October 1932 – 12 March 2002) was a Cypriot barrister and politician, who served as President of Cyprus from 1977 to 1988. He also served as President of the Cypriot House of Representatives from 1976 to 19 ...

. She was

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

' first official first lady, as the country's first president, Archbishop

Makarios III Makarios III (born Michael Christodoulou Mouskos; 13 August 1913 – 3 August 1977) was a Greek Cypriots, Greek Cypriot prelate and politician who served as Archbishop of the Church of Cyprus from 1950 to 1977 and as the first president o ...

, a clergyman, was unmarried.

Biography

Kyprianou was born Erasmia Papatheoklitou (Ερασμία Παπαθεοκλήτου) in the city of

Veria Veria (; ), officially transliterated Veroia, historically also spelled Beroea or Berea, is a city in Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia, northern Greece, capital of the regional unit of Imathia. It is located north-nor ...

Imathia Imathia ( ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Central Macedonia, within the geographic regions of Greece, geographic region of Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia. The capital of Imathia is the ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

.«Έφυγε» η βεροιώτισσα Μιμή Κυπριανού - Παπαθεοκλήτου, σύζυγος του αείμνηστου Προέδρου της Κυπριακής Δημοκρατίας, ''laosnews'', 21 November 2021
/ref> She moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to study

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

. During her time as a student in London, Papatheoklitou met her future husband,

, who was a law student. Papatheoklitou and Kyprianou began collaborating on charitable activities for the National Union of Cypriot Students in England (E.F.E.K.A.), including

plays Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

and theater productions to raise money for a school attended by Greek Cypriot children in London. The couple married in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

in 1956 and had two sons, Achilleas and Markos. Mimi Kyprianou died in

Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...

, where she had been hospitalized at

Nicosia New General Hospital Nicosia New General Hospital is the Nicosia district's main medical center. It opened in 2006, replacing Nicosia Old General Hospital. The contract for the construction of the New Nicosia General Hospital was signed in 1997. On 14 April 1997, t ...

, on November 22, 2021, at the age of 89. She was buried in Agios Nikolaos Cemetery in

Limassol Limassol, also known as Lemesos, is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus and capital of the Limassol district. Limassol is the second-largest urban area in Cyprus after Nicosia, with an urban population of 195,139 and a district population o ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyprianou, Mimi 1932 births 2021 deaths First ladies of Cyprus Greek emigrants to Cyprus People from Veria Greek expatriates in the United Kingdom