So far, six Maronite monuments, one Armenian monument and two Latin monuments in the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus have been preserved or restored, while the preservation of the Armenian Monastery in Pentadaktylos mountains is underway, Sotos Ktoris, co-chair of the Bicommunal Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage, has told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).
On her part, historian, archaeologist and writer Anna Marangou presents to CNA the history of the religious monuments of the Maronites, Armenians and Latins located in the Turkish-occupied areas.
The monuments that have been preserved
Sotos Ktoris said that so far six Maronite monuments, one Armenian monument and two Latin monuments have been preserved or restored in the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus.
Referring to the Maronite monuments, he noted that the church of St. Anne in medieval Famagusta, the church of St. Marina and Theodoros in Kormakitis village, the church of St. Marina in Agia Marina Skyllouras village, the church of the Holy Cross in Karpasha village, the church of Archangel Michael in Asomatos village and the church of St. George in Kormakitis have been preserved.
At the same time, he pointed out that the Armenian church in medieval Famagusta has been preserved, as well as two monuments of the Latins in medieval Famagusta, that is, the churches of St. George of the Latins and of the Virgin Mary of the Carmelites.
In addition, he emphasised that the conservation of the Armenian monastery at Halefka in Pentadaktylos mountains is underway.
The religious monuments of the Armenians
Referring to the religious group of the Armenians, Anna Marangou pointed out that the Armenians have inhabited Cyprus since the 8th century AD, due to the population shift from Cilicia carried out by the Byzantines. The Armenians who came to Cyprus settled in various areas of the island but mainly settled on the southern sides of Pentadaktylos, she added.
At the same time, she said that the Armenians were craftsmen with excellent knowledge in the construction of fortifications, noting the enormous influence of the Armenian castles on similar Cypriot ones, such as Kantara and Kyrenia.
Regarding their religious needs, she pointed out that during the medieval period the Armenians of Cyprus took over a monastery that had been built in Halefka by Coptic monks around 1000 AD in honour of Saint Macarius the Hermit from Alexandria. The monastery in question, called Armenomonastiro (Armenian Monastery), belongs to the Armenian Church, has a fairly long lifespan and a very large financial fortune, with the 17th and 18th centuries being its golden age, during which it was also called the ‘Blue Monastery’ for the colour of its doors and windows and had a decree from the Sultan for its exemption from taxes, she added.
The monastery has a strong presence in Cypriot history until the early 20th century, receiving support from the large Armenian families of Nicosia and Famagusta, Anna Marangou told CNA, noting that ‘an entire community was built there, in which many Armenian residents of Nicosia participated, especially during the summer holidays.’
Noting that she had conducted a historical study about the Armenomonastiro with the help of Alexandros Hadjilyras, Marangou emphasised that ‘the time has come for its conservation to begin’ by the Bicommunal Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage. In addition to the monastery at Pentadaktylos, another important religious monument of the Armenians of Cyprus is the church of Our Lady of Tyre, which is located in the Armenian quarter of Nicosia, near the Paphos Gate, Marangou said, explaining that the church originally ‘belonged to Benedictine nuns who had come from Tyre with a very miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary and there they built this large monastery that still exists in a very poor condition today.’
At the same time, she noted that the church was ceded by the Ottomans to the Armenians, due to the support that the Armenians had offered to the Ottomans during the fall of Nicosia in 1570. She also stated that the church received an award for its maintenance from Europa Nostra and is operated once a year by the Armenian community, which also largely subsidised the maintenance of the Virgin Mary of Tyre.
Furthermore, Marangou said that the Armenian community in Famagusta had three churches, noting that the Virgin Mary of Kantshvor or Kalousa, which was built in the 14th century by Armenian refugees from Cilicia who came to Cyprus to escape the attacks of the Mamluks, is preserved. In her own words, the church “is literally a work of art,” adorned with frescoes and was officially given to the Armenian community by the British colonial government.
The religious monuments of the Maronites
Referring to the history of the Maronite community in Cyprus, Anna Marangou explained to CNA that it comes from the Mardaites, whom the Byzantine emperor Justinian transferred from Lebanon to Antalya. During the Arab invasions, which lasted from the 7th to the 10th century AD, several Mardaites moved to Cyprus to strengthen the island’s defence against Arab attacks, she noted, adding that this is how the presence of the Maronites in the Kormakitis region and on the southern outskirts of Pentadaktylos began.
One of the most important religious monuments of the Maronites in the occupied territories is the monastery of Prophet Elias in Agia Marina Skyllouras, which is a 16th-century building, Marangou pointed out, adding that it was built gradually and developed, becoming a beacon of the Maronite religion and culture for almost two centuries. Today, the monastery is ‘unfortunately in very bad condition,’ she emphasised, noting, however, that it is ‘worth the effort’ to try to preserve it.
As for Kormakitis, she said that there is the large church of Saint George, which was built in the 20th century and took almost 33 years to erect, in which the Maltese also participated, making it somewhat reminiscent of the famous church of Saint John in Valletta. She also noted that this church was built on a pre-existing church, which was also dedicated to Saint George and had been built next to a small nunnery.
At the same time, Marangou said that near the church of Saint George are the ruins of the church of Saint Theodore, which probably dates back to the 13th-14th century, adding that on the beach of Kormakitis is the church of Saint George the Seed, which celebrates the beginning of the sowing season.
She also mentioned the church of Saint Anna in Famagusta, which had been given to the Maronites and in which a service had been held after the opening of the checkpoints.
The religious monuments of the Latins
Referring to the religious monuments of the Latins, Anna Marangou pointed out that the church of the Holy Cross, located near the Paphos Gate, in Nicosia, is built on top of an earlier church from the 16th century.
Speaking about the cases of churches that have been built on top of older ones, Anna Marangou explained to CNA that “when a church is destroyed or when the population of the (religious) denomination increases and needs a larger church, it is chosen to build (a new church) on top of the older one in order to take the myrrh of the old church.”
At the same time, she noted the Gothic churches of Agia Sophia in Nicosia and Agios Nikolaos in Famagusta, which were converted into mosques by the Ottomans who conquered Cyprus in 1570-1571, expressing the belief that ‘they should have been UNESCO monuments’. At the same time, she argued that Agia Sophia is ‘one of the most important monuments of the Eastern Mediterranean’, adding that ‘it has undergone an amazing conservation by Turkey in recent years’.
In addition, Marangou told CNA that there are references to the churches that were built in Famagusta by the Franks and Latins who conquered Cyprus, when they lost Jerusalem. As she said, there were churches in the city that belonged to various Christian orders (Nestorians, Jacobites, Carmelites), speaking of churches of ‘astonishing art’ and noting that a large part of them has been saved.
Referring to the Nestorian church of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Famagusta, she characterised it as a ‘top monument of the 14th century’, noting that the Virgin Mary of the Carmelites, also in Famagusta, ‘is an example of how the Orthodox and Latin Churches coexist’.
She also emphasised that medieval Famagusta ‘is an example of a multiculturalism that consisted of Orthodox residents, Franks, Armenians, Maronites and all those who came from Syria and Lesser Armenia (Cilicia) as refugees’. ‘Famagusta may not have 365 churches (according to tradition), but we certainly count 30 very important churches in the medieval city of Famagusta,’ she said, adding that the medieval cities of Nicosia and Famagusta ‘should have been UNESCO monuments.’