The artifact, a golden icon of Christ, had been hanging above the singer's fireplace for 26 years, until the piece was recognized by a patron watching a TV interview of O'Dowd, which was taped in the singer's living room. The icon is thought to have been stolen around 1974, during the chaotic time of the Turkish invasion of the Northern part of Cyprus, and there is documentation to believe that the icon was once housed in The Church of St. Charalambos in Neo Chorio-Kythrea. O'Dowd was unaware that the icon had been stolen because he bought the artifact "with good faith" from an art dealer in 1985.
The artifact, a golden representation of Christ, had been hanging above the singer's fireplace for 26 years, until the piece was recognized by a patron watching a TV interview of O'Dowd, which was recorded in the singer's living room. The icon is believed to have been stolen around 1974, during the turbulent period of the Turkish invasion of the Northern part of Cyprus, and there is evidence to suggest that the icon was once housed in The Church of St. Charalambos in Neo Chorio-Kythrea. O'Dowd was unaware that the icon had been stolen because he acquired the artifact "with good faith" from an art dealer in 1985.