Cyprus has always been a crossroads of civilizations, where representatives of different cultures and religions lived side by side.
Today, thanks to the Bicommunal Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage, the unique monuments of the island’s three historical communities are given a second life. Over a decade and a half, with the support of the European Union and the United Nations Development Program, more than a hundred facilities have been restored. The co-chairman of the committee, Sotos Ktoris, told us about which monuments have already been preserved and what lies ahead, and historian Anna Marangou immersed us in the amazing history of these places.
Nine religious monuments of three communities of Cyprus have already been restored or preserved in the occupied territories. Six Maronite temples, one Armenian church and two Latin monuments.
Maronite shrines: the temple of St. Anna in medieval Famagusta, the temples of Saints Marina and Theodore, as well as St. George in Kormakitis, the Temple of St. Marina in Agia Marina Skillura, the Temple of the Holy Cross in Karpasia and the Temple of the Archangel Michael in Asomatos.
The Armenian church in Famagusta and two Latin churches in the same city, the Church of St. George of the Latins and the Church of Our Lady of the Carmelites, have also been restored.
Next up is the restoration of the Armenian Monastery in Halevka, known as Surp Magar.
Armenians have been living in Cyprus since the eighth century. Then the Byzantines resettled part of the population from Cilicia here. The settlers settled on the southern slopes of the Pentadaktylos mountain range and were famous as skilled craftsmen of fortress construction — their influence is noticeable in the Cypriot castles of Kantara and Kyrenia.
The Armenian monastery in Halevka was built around 1000 by Coptic monks in honor of Saint Macarius, a hermit from Alexandria. The monastery flourished in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and was nicknamed the “Blue Monastery” for the characteristic color of the windows and doors. The Ottoman Sultan exempted the monastery from taxes.
“The moment has come when its restoration will begin,” says historian Anna Marangu.
The Church of Our Lady of Tyre in the Armenian quarter of Nicosia at the gates of Paphos originally belonged to Benedictine nuns. The Ottomans handed over the temple to the Armenians for their support during the capture of Nicosia in 1570. The church received the Europa Nostra Award for its restoration.
The Maronites are an Eastern Christian community historically associated with Lebanon. They are descended from the Mardaites, whom the Byzantine Emperor Justinian resettled in Cyprus. During the Arab raids, some of the Mardaites moved to the island to strengthen their defenses. This is how the Maronite presence in the Kormakitis area began.
The Monastery of the Prophet Elijah in Agia Marina Skillura was built in the sixteenth century. For almost two centuries, it has served as a beacon of the Maronite faith and culture. Today it is in a deplorable condition, but Marangu believes that its restoration “deserves to be carried out.” In Kormakitis stands the church of St. George, built in the twentieth century. It was built for almost thirty-three years with the participation of Maltese craftsmen, and it looks like St. John’s Cathedral in Valletta.
Latins in Cyprus are descendants of Catholic Crusaders. The Gothic cathedrals of St. Sophia in Nicosia and St. Nicholas in Famagusta were turned into mosques after the Ottomans captured Cyprus. Anna Marangou believes that both cathedrals “should have been UNESCO monuments,” and calls St. Sophia “one of the most important monuments of the eastern Mediterranean.” Medieval Famagusta reflects a multicultural society — Orthodox Christians, Franks, Armenians, Maronites, and refugees from Syria and Lesser Armenia. Although rumor attributes 365 churches to the city, historians count about thirty significant temples within the medieval walls.
The work of the Bicommunal Technical Committee is a model of cooperation that shows that mutual understanding and shared responsibility bring meaningful results.
As Sotos Ktoris noted: “By preserving the monuments, we pass on their memory to future generations. The Committee works on the principles of mutual respect, equality and trust, because the culture of peace begins with the protection of our common heritage.”
With the support of the European Union, which has allocated more than 32 million euros since 2012, the committee continues its mission. Now that nine monuments of the three communities have been restored, it is time for a new stage — the preservation of the Armenian Monastery in Halevka.
Source: en.philenews.com
https://cyprusbutterfly.com.cy/news/okkupirovannyix-territoriyax-kipra-aktivno-vosstanavlivayut
