Epochs
Cyprus connects its Christian history with the apostles Paul and Barnabas. We see the transition from ancient cities to basilicas, mosaic apses, icons, cave cells and mountain monasteries.
395–1191
This period brings together the history of religion, architecture and art. Particularly important are the early Christian basilicas, the mosaic at Kiti, Byzantine museums and the painted churches of Troodos listed as UNESCO World Heritage.
Why can a small mountain church sometimes preserve history better than a wealthy urban cathedral?
Constantinople · early Christianity · icon painting · cross-in-square churches
In Paphos we connect the ancient city with the story of Paul, Barnabas and the conversion of the proconsul Sergius Paulus.
The excavated basilica north of Paphos preserves large sections of mosaic flooring.
At the foot of the Kourion hill we encountered an early Christian complex that had not appeared in our description of the site at the time.
At Kiti we saw one of the island’s rarest early Christian mosaic ensembles: the Virgin and Child between the archangels.
This short museum chapter highlights the mosaics from Lythrangomi, a sixth-century icon and a double-sided icon of Saint Marina whose earlier face dates to the eighth century.
The principal monastery in our family route is associated with the tradition of a miraculous icon, repeated fires and a rich museum collection.
The hermit’s cave, rock-cut cells and frescoes tell the story of one of Cyprus’s best-known medieval writers.
The narrow mountain road, imperial patronage and the icon of Panagia Machairiotissa made this one of the most personal journeys in our family archive.
The monastery near ancient Tamassos is associated with a disciple of the apostles Paul and Barnabas.
Several traditions explain the monastery’s name, ranging from German monks to the story of Suleiman and the snake.
The name “Mesopotamou” reflects the monastery’s position between two rivers in the mountains near Pano Platres.
An ancient church with frescoes, restored cells, a hoard of coins and a spring above the Kouris River.
The long stone building beside the road recalls the twentieth-century restoration of an abandoned monastery.
A narrow road leads to a monastery whose history is associated with an icon hidden during the period of Iconoclasm.
We include the museum as a place to see icons, frescoes and returned mosaic fragments without undertaking a long mountain route.
We visited the complex near Salamis and consider the church, museum and the place associated with the veneration of the Apostle Barnabas together.
We include Asinou for one of the most powerful ensembles of wall painting in Cyprus.
We include Panagia tou Araka as one of the most important churches of Byzantine Cyprus.
We include a separate route through the ten painted churches: it is one of the best ways to see the development of Byzantine and post-Byzantine painting on the island.
We visited the complex at Kalopanagiotis, where the architecture and wall paintings allow several artistic and historical layers to be compared.
We include the church as a clear example of a Cypriot mountain church protected by a large pitched timber roof.
We include Saint Lazarus as one of Cyprus’s principal urban Christian monuments and an important link between biblical tradition, Byzantium and modern Larnaca.
