Popular shrines of Cyprus
During its centuries-old history, the island of Cyprus has experienced many peoples: Greeks, British, Turks. Each of them left its mark not only in the history, but also in the religion and culture of Cyprus. That is why there are so many shrines from different times on the island, many of which are still active.
Royal Stauropegial Kiki Monastery
The Kykkos Monastery is the main shrine of Cyprus, which appeared at the end of the 11th - beginning of the 12th century. The full name of the monastery is the Holy Royal and Stauropegial Monastery of the Kikk Icon of the Mother of God. It is believed that the monastery appeared thanks to the hermit Isaiah, who with prayers healed the daughter of Emperor Alexy I Komnenos, for which he was rewarded with the icon of the Mother of God, which was painted by the apostle and evangelist Luke. The emperor also gave funds for the construction of a monastery in the mountains, where this precious icon was supposed to be. Over time, the monastery of Kykkos became one of the richest in the entire Greek Orthodox world.
The inhabitants of the island and pilgrims for many centuries worshiped the icon of the Virgin and asked her for miracles. And today pilgrims come here to bow before this shrine and admire the wonderful mosaics and frescoes that adorn the interior of the monastery.
There is also a museum at the Kikk monastery, which houses a collection of manuscripts, icons and a part of the ancient iconostasis, which was made from tortoise shells and inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
In addition to the sacred icon, Kykkos Monastery is popular because in 1926 the future Archbishop Makarios III, the first President of the Republic of Cyprus (from 1960 to 1977), was a novice there. At his request, he was buried not far from this monastery, on the top of the Kykk mountain, called Troni.
Rock of Aphrodite (Petra tou Romiou)
Two Greek myths are connected with the rock of Aphrodite at once
Petra tou Romiou is a rock on the sea coast, located between Paphos and Limassol. Since ancient times, it was believed that it was here that the beauty, the goddess of love and fertility Aphrodite, was born. According to legend, Aphrodite emerged from the sea foam off the coast of Cyprus.
They say that for some weather conditions waves rise, creating a column of water, and disintegrating, turns into a column of foam, in which one can notice a human form.
Church of Agios Lazaros, Larnaca (Church of Ayios Lazaros)
The church is named after the righteous Lazarus. According to the Gospel, Jesus resurrected Lazarus, after which he lived for another 30 years.
The Church of St. Lazarus was built in the 9th century to house the sarcophagus of Lazarus. In the 17th century, the monastery was reconstructed and to this day it is one of the most beautiful and the main attraction of Larnaca.
Near the altar of the church there are steps that lead down to where the sarcophagus of St. Lazarus is located. It is surprising that the bell tower of the church has been preserved since the 17th century, because until 1857, the Ottomans forbade such structures, they were afraid that the ringing of bells could become a signal for an uprising.
Ancient Kition, Larnaca (Ancient Kition)
Since ancient times, Kition has been the center of the copper trade, which was mined in the mines near Tomassas.
Kition is an ancient city whose ruins lie near modern city Larnaca. Kition was of great importance to the Cypriots. According to legend, Saint Lazarus himself was the bishop of ancient Larnaca for many years. Archaeologists have found many ancient Greek shrines here.
Bellapais Abbey Monastery
Bellapais Abbey is the most interesting attraction in Northern Cyprus. The monastery was founded around the 13th century near Kyrenia. Bellapais Abbey is located on a mountain cliff at a height of about 30 meters. This place offers a breathtaking view of the surroundings of the village of the same name. The Gothic monastery of Bellapais Abbey looks a bit unusual: its roof is flat, and a bizarre belfry is located above the entrance.
Saint Nicholas cat's monastery
Saint Nicholas Monastery in Limassol is one of the most unusual monasteries on the island. The monastery is located in Limassol, at first glance it may seem that there are cats instead of nuns. According to legend, local cats are descendants of animals that the Byzantine Empress Saint Helena brought in the 4th century to reduce the population of snakes, which were very numerous during the drought. In general, the four-legged hunters fulfilled their mission perfectly, because. their descendants now bask in the sun all day long.
Cathedral of Saint John, Nicosia (Ayios Ioannis)
St. John's Cathedral was founded in 1662 by Archbishop Nikiforos. Previously, this place was the chapel of the Benedictines. The Mamluks forced these people to leave the island, and since 1425 an Orthodox monastery has been located on the site of the chapel. This is the only church in Nicosia where wall paintings have been preserved to this day.
Monastery of Saint Barnabas
The monastery was founded in the 5th century next to the tomb of St. Barnabas, who was killed and buried here in 45 AD, when he, together with St. Paul, wanted to convert the locals to Christianity. Now there is a working chapel above the tomb of St. Barnabas, and the premises of the monastery are used for the museum of icons.
Sanctuary of Aphrodite in Paleopaphos (Sanctuary of Aphrodite)
In Daytime Greece, the city of Paleopaphos was a center of pilgrimage, thanks to the Sanctuary of the goddess Aphrodite. Until now, only the ruins of the columns have survived from the Sanctuary of Aphrodite, but despite this place attracts many tourists. If you want to touch ancient Greek history, feel the energy of this place - be sure to visit the Sanctuary of Aphrodite in Paleopaphos.
Tombs of the Kings in Paphos
In the 4th-3rd century BC, nobility, which belonged to the monarchical family, was buried in the tombs. Presumably, it is here that the remains of King Ptolemy are stored.
Tombs of the Kings - is a whole complex of tombs carved directly into the rocks. Some tombs look like true works of art and look more like luxurious palaces than graves. Unfortunately, even before the start of research, the shrine was heavily plundered and not all of it has survived to this day.
Russian Christians have long maintained close ties with the Orthodox Churches of the East, and these ties have not been interrupted for a whole millennium. This article is devoted to an overview of the historical relations of the Russian Orthodox Church with one of the ancient Churches of the East, which had apostolic origin - the Cypriot Orthodox Church.
Cyprus and Kievan Rus
Information about Cyprus became known in Russia to a large extent thanks to St. Epiphanius of Cyprus (367-403), whose veneration in Russia has been from time immemorial. Saint Epiphanius, being a native of Palestine, was elected Bishop of Salamis in Cyprus in 367, and for the next 36 years, until his death, governed this diocese. The doctrine of the incorporeal forces governing the world, contained in one of the writings of St. Epiphanius, was already known in Russia in the 11th century; it is cited by the ancient chronicler, who on this basis explained all celestial phenomena.
The word of St. Epiphanius of Cyprus "On 12 stones" was included in the "Izbornik Svyatoslav" (1073). Even more famous was his other work - “The Word on the Burial of the Body of Christ”, included in the “Klottsov Collection” - a Glagolitic monument of ancient Slavic writing of the 11th century. Cyprus itself is mentioned in the Laurentian Chronicle in the list of countries inherited by one of the sons of Noah - Ham. This news passes along with the presentation of biblical history in all subsequent chronicles.
Russian Christians from ancient times began to undertake pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and on the way to Palestine, some of them visited Cyprus. The first written evidence of this kind is the “walking” of Father Superior Daniel, who traveled to the East during the reign of the Kiev prince Svyatopolk Izyaslavovich (1098–1113), at the very time when, as a result of the Crusades, access to Palestine was again opened to pilgrims from European countries.
“And from Chios to the island of Cyprus, there are 200 versts to the great one. Cyprus, on the other hand, is an island of great greatness, and there are many people in it and it is abundant in all good things. The essence is that there is a bishop in him 24, but there is only one metropolia”, - these lines begin the first description of Cyprus known today by the Russian pilgrim - hegumen Daniel. It is also important because it is the only Russian evidence that refers to the Byzantine period of the island's history. As you know, in 1190 Cyprus was conquered by the English king Richard the Lionheart, and in 1193 sold to the Jerusalem king Lusignan, who declared Catholicism the dominant confession in Cyprus.
One of the heralds of Christianity in Cyprus was the Apostle Barnabas. Together with the Apostle Paul, he preached the gospel at Salamis (Acts 13:4-13), and then went all the way to Paphos (Paphos). The Apostle Barnabas was in Cyprus for the second time with John, called Mark (Acts 15:37,39), here he spent his last years, suffered a martyr's death from the Jews, who stoned him, and was buried in a cave near Salamis.
Hegumen Daniel considered Cyprus as a place of feat and repose of the holy ascetics of the Church of Christ, among them he mentioned the Apostle Barnabas, a native of this island: “And there are many saints without number: St. Bishop Triphyllius, he was baptized by Paul the Apostle, and Figrios Bishop.
Continuing the analysis of the notes of abbot Daniel, it should be noted that the oldest of the chronographs of Cyprus - the Greek Leonty Mahera (1410) wrote that in 327 A.D. the island was visited on the way back from Jerusalem by the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Queen Helena, mother of the emperor Constantine. Queen Helena founded churches in Vasilopotam and Togna, to whom she presented particles of the acquired honest Cross of the Lord. This historical evidence can be compared with the story of Abbot Daniel, who several centuries earlier described his visit to those places in Cyprus that were associated with the stay of St. Helena Equal-to-the-Apostles on this island: that (Filagrios) mountain, St. Helen, the queen, put a cross of cypress, to drive away demons, and to heal every ailment, and putting the honest nail of Christ into it, and there are many signs and wonders in that place<…>And that unworthy one bowed down to that miraculous shrine, and I saw with my sinful eyes the grace of God, existing in that place, and passing the island of that good ... ".
Further, the path of abbot Daniel lay in the Holy Land: “And from the island of Cyprus to Yafa city there are 400 versts, all go by sea ...”. With these words, he ends his description of Cyprus - the first in the history of Russian-Cypriot church relations.
In his further notes relating to Palestine, hegumen Daniel twice compared the Jordan with the river, which he called Pine (in another list of “walking” - Again): “Jordan is like a Pine River to everyone”; “And there is like the Jordan along the Pine River” . This comparison gave rise to some domestic researchers to suggest that hegumen Daniel was a native of Chernigov, since it was in these lands that the river flowed, which in ancient times had the name Pine. The Russian historian N. M. Karamzin also believed that hegumen Daniel was subsequently appointed Bishop of Yuryevsky in 1113.
The invasion of Batu's troops into Russia in 1240 made the pilgrimage of Russian people to the Holy Land extremely difficult, and therefore it is not surprising that the following written evidence, in which Cyprus is briefly mentioned, refers only to the second half of the 14th century. This is “The Walking of Archimandrite Agrethenius of the Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos”, written around 1370. About Cyprus, Archimandrite Agrethenius writes briefly: “From Rhodes to Cyprus 300 (versts - but. BUT.). In the island of Cypri, the cross of a prudent robber.
Regarding the name of the author of this "Journey", it should be noted that the name Agrefeniy is not found in the Orthodox menologions. Agrefeniy - these are the little-used names Agrippa, Agrippin or Agrippiy, spoiled in the popular dialect. Thus, the name of the archimandrite - the author of this "walk" could actually be Agrippa, Agrippin or Agrippius. Next question- this is from which particular monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos the author of the “walking” was. The choice can be made between the two Mother of God cloisters that existed at the end of the 14th century: Kiev-Pechersk and Smolensk.
Another message about Cyprus dates back to the same time. The Nikon chronicle mentions the military events of 1366, in which the Cypriot prince, the Egyptian “saltan” and the Byzantine emperor appear.
Cyprus and Russia in the 15th-16th centuries.
In the period under review, in Russia, as before, great attention devoted to the theological writings of Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus. Thus, for example, the desire to acquaint Russian Christians with general historical events on a broader scale was expressed in the compilation of “Chronographs”, which presented a presentation of events according to several chronicle sources. Chronographs compiled according to Byzantine sources have been found in Russia since the 15th century. Among them, the Hellenic and Roman Chronicler occupies a prominent place. This Chronograph opens with an essay by Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus on the six days of creation.
For the study of Russian-Cypriot relations, “The Progress of the Monk Zosima” (1419–1422) is of great interest. Information about this author, like about most other Russian ancient pilgrims, is extremely scarce and is limited only to what he himself announced about himself in the description of his “Journey” that has come down to us. Zosima belonged to the brethren of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery and is referred to in one place as a hierodeacon, and in another as a hieromonk.
After living 6 months in Kiev, Zosima sailed through Belgorod by sea to Constantinople, where he lived for two and a half months. From here, visiting Athos, through the islands of Chios and Patmos, he went to Jerusalem and arrived in the Holy City just before Easter 1420. After a year's stay in Palestine, Zosima left Jerusalem for Constantinople, where, having lived all winter, in May 1422 he returned to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery.
Monk Zosima visited Cyprus in 1421 on his return from the Holy Land to his homeland. Departing from Jaffa, he reached Cyprus by sea and went ashore near the ancient city of Kition (modern Larnaca), associated with the name of the Gospel Lazarus. According to legend, after his resurrection by the Lord, Lazarus arrived in Cyprus and was here the bishop of Kition. “And from there (from Jaffa - but. BUT.) went to the ship and then there was a ship shelter, - wrote the monk Zosima. - And we went 300 miles and arrived to the island of Cyprus in Limen to the city of Kiisky; here Lazar was a four-day bishop. And so I went up the mountain, where the cross stands of the prudent robber, we hold it with air. But the mountain was high, velmi.”
Further, Monk Zosima gives information that reflects the ecclesiastical and political changes that took place during the reign of the Lusignan dynasty in Cyprus. “In the same island, the city of the great table Leukusia (Nicosia), continues the monk Zosima. - Here sits Riga Fryazhsky (Frankish, Catholic - but. BUT.), that is, the prince, owns the whole island and his brother artziburt; Greek bishops 4, and 2 laymen and 2 blacks. In all the Greek churches, the organs are sung on great feasts.
This message is the same as historical fact that in 1196 the Latin hierarchy was planted in Cyprus, and in 1215 the Catholics moved the archiepiscopal see from Arsinoe (Famagusta) to Lefkosia (Nicosia). In addition, in 1260, Pope Alexander IV issued a bull, according to which the Greek Orthodox hierarchy in Cyprus was completely subordinate to the Catholic archbishop, which soon led to the Latinization of Greek Orthodox worship.
Mentioning the capital of Cyprus - Lefkosia (Nicosia), the monk Zosima also listed a number of other large Cypriot cities at that time, noting the places especially revered by Christians: “And the 2nd city of Kyrenia<…>Ottol there is a village of princes 10 versts, called Omorpho (Morfu), that is, good<…>and here lies Saint Mamas and sharpens (exudes) myrrh on his holiday, the 4th city of Siruria (Famagusta), the 5th city of Lemoshch (Limassol), the 6th - Epapha (Paphos), the 7th - Kitea (Larnaca), where was Lazarus the four days old.”
Unlike his predecessors from Russia, the monk Zosima was able to stay in Cyprus for quite a long time, which allowed him to visit the famous Kikko monastery, founded in the reign of the Byzantine emperor Alexei Komnenos (1081-1118). “And stayed in this island in the city of Leukusia (Nicosia) for a month and a half. Zoves Monastery of Bivia<…>And byhom in that Kikko monastery. And I went to the ship and went 500 miles and saw the earth and mountains, which I did not hear in Scripture, and walked along the Lukomorye and as a priest to the island of Rhodes, ”- this is how the resident of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery concludes his story about Cyprus.
Before proceeding to the report on the next time "Journey" of Russian pilgrims, it is impossible not to mention the fact that at that time the Cypriots also visited Orthodox Russia. This is evidenced, for example, by the records of Cypriots in handwritten books that existed in Russia. Thus, the Russian list of the writings of St. John Chrysostom of the first half of the 15th century from the Sophia Collection retained the following Russian postscript: “And this book, the work of John Chrysostom, was written off by the former abbot Euthymius of Kupreya Island.” The mention in the record of the Cypriot Euthymius today can be considered the earliest evidence of the stay of a resident of Cyprus in Russia.
As already noted, the “Walking” of Abbot Daniel (12th century) was the first (and last) Russian written evidence about Cyprus during the relatively calm existence of Orthodoxy on this island. Another ecclesiastical and literary monument is “The Journey of the Hieromonk Barsanuphius to the Holy City of Jerusalem in 1456 and 1461–1462.” became the last known Russian description of Cypriot shrines in the period preceding the capture of the island by the Turks in 1571.
In describing his first trip to the Holy Land, monk Barsanuphius only briefly mentioned Cyprus, listing the cities through which he followed on his way to Jerusalem: “He went from Kiev to Belograd and from Belagrad to Tsaryugrad,” wrote Barsanuphius. - From Constantinople I went to Crete. From Crete went to Rhodes. From Rhodes I went to Cyprus. And from Cyprus I went to Sureya to the city of Ladokeya.”
Following the first “Journey”, the manuscript contains a story about the second wandering of Barsanuphius: “I will make another journey to the holy city of Jerusalem after the years of my arrival in Russia.” Barsanuphius himself refers his first walk to 1456: “I came to the holy city of Jerusalem,” he writes, “of the month of Maya on the 2nd day in the summer of 6964 (1456); stay in Jerusalem 2 months and go around all the holy places.” Consequently, he could not return to Russia before the second half of 1456.
Barsanuphius, as in his first journey, notes his departure from Kiev. This gives some indication of where he lived at the time. If it was not Kiev itself, then, apparently, the area lying near Kiev. As during the first "walking", the path of Barsanuphius lay through Belgorod, Constantinople, Galipoli, Crete, Rhodes and Cyprus. In Cyprus, this time he went to the mountain, “on it place St. Helen the cross of the prudent robber”, and to the monastery of St. Mamant, “where his holy relics lie in the place called Stomorof (Morph), and myrrh flows from his holy relics” .
In the 16th century, Russian-Cypriot church ties continued to develop - representatives of the Cypriot clergy are mentioned in the annals, for example, the Cypriot Bishop Damaskin, who, among other Orthodox hierarchs of the East, signed a charter for the reign of Ivan IV (1561).
But after another 10 years, the independent existence of Christianity in Cyprus came to an end; in 1571 the island was captured by the Turks. This sad event was also reflected in the traditional pilgrimage routes of Russian people to the Holy Land, who now no longer had the opportunity to visit Cyprus. This can be seen, for example, from the text describing the “Journey” of Moscow pilgrims Trifon Korobeinikov and Yuri Grekov to the East, which was made in 1582 at the behest of Ivan the Terrible to commemorate Tsarevich Ivan Ioannovich. These pilgrims only briefly mention Cyprus, since the difficult situation did not favor the traditional visit to the Cypriot shrines: “From the island of Rhodes, by the wide White Sea, go to the island of Cyprus in a day, from the island of Cyprus to Tripoli, the city is a day’s walk.”
When analyzing Russian-Cypriot church relations, it is necessary to clarify one controversial historical issue related to the name of Patriarch Ignatius of Moscow (1605–1606). IN domestic research late XIX - early XX century. it was argued that this church leader, whose name is associated with not the brightest pages of Russian history, was a Cypriot.
So, for example, in the “Complete Theological Encyclopedic Dictionary” (ed. 1913) the following is said on this occasion: “Ignatius, Patriarch of Moscow, Greek. Ignatius was at first an archbishop on the island of Cyprus, until he was taken by the Turks, when he had to leave and arrived in Russia, taking the place of the Ryazan bishop under Godunov, and taking the side of the impostor, he, at the behest of the latter, was elected by the cathedral of the Russian clergy as the Moscow Patriarch. After the death of False Dmitry, he was either overthrown for his obvious adherence to Poland, or again elevated to the throne by the supporters of King Sigismund. He died in 1640 in Vilna, where he fled from Russian persecution.
Even a modern Cypriot researcher wrote about this, arguing that “the Moscow Patriarch Ignatius was a Cypriot, who at the beginning of the 17th century played a large role in the struggle between Boris Godunov and False Dmitry. Probably, Ignatius was formerly a bishop in Cyprus and fled to Russia, like many other Cypriots - clergy and secular persons - after the conquest of Cyprus by the Turks in 1571. But such statements do not have any serious grounds, except for references to messages that came from Ignatius himself at one time.
Here is what the Russian church historian A. V. Kartashev, who more carefully assessed the annalistic reports about the Cypriot origin of Ignatius, writes about this: “Before, without reservations, Ignatius was considered an archbishop from the island of Cyprus, who studied in Rome and accepted the union there. But the notes of Arseny Elassonsky (although naturally condescending to his countryman) make one be more careful in the negative characterization of Ignatius. According to Arseny, he was not from Cyprus, but from Mount Athos, and was there the bishop of the neighboring city of Erisso. He came to Moscow for the coronation of Tsar Theodore as a representative of the Patriarchate of Alexandria. Here he stayed and achieved in 1605 the Ryazan department. This means that Muscovites, suspicious of Latinism, did not notice anything Latin in him. But naturally, during the Troubles, he, like a stranger, easily swam with the flow and adapted to the prevailing course - for the Pretender<…>Ignatius, the first of the bishops, in June 1605, went to Tula to meet the Pretender, recognized him, took an oath and swore others.
And, finally, the assumption that the odious figure of Ignatius was not involved in the history of Russian-Cypriot relations is supported by the statement of the modern researcher O. A. Belobrova, who stated that “Archbishop Ignatius is unknown in the sources on the history of Cyprus. In all likelihood, Ignatius had nothing to do with Cyprus.
Cyprus and Russia in the 17th century
The strengthening of Turkish influence in Cyprus continued throughout the 17th century; from this time not a single written evidence of a visit to Cyprus by Russian pilgrims has been preserved. But the development of Russian-Cypriot relations continued, and this was facilitated, paradoxically, by the strengthening of Turkish oppression on the island. In the first half of the 17th century, representatives of the Cypriot clergy began to come to Russia often in search of intercession and help. surviving far from in full force The archive materials “Relations between Russia and Greece” (“Greek Affairs”) contain documents about the arrival of Cypriots in Moscow “to beg for alms” (1623–1652). During the indicated period of time, the Cypriots came to Russia at least 10 times. The first thing that catches your eye is the complete satisfaction of the requests of all Cypriot petitioners, no matter how many they are and whoever they are.
Orthodox Cypriots came to Moscow for help from the St. Michael's Monastery (1627), from the monasteries of Archangels Michael and Gabriel (1629), St. Nicholas (1629), Hieromartyr Mamant (1631), Archangelsk Monastery (1642 ). As a rule, they carried with them letters from the Patriarchs of Constantinople or Jerusalem, confirming the powers of the petitioners. In Moscow, during the patriarchal and royal audiences, they brought to their benefactors and patrons particles of the relics of one or more saints: the apostle and evangelist Luke, St. John the Merciful, the Apostle Barnabas, the holy unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, St. Epiphanius of Cyprus.
The Cypriots who came to the Moscow land did not limit themselves to meetings with the patriarch and the tsar, but on the way to Moscow they paid visits to prominent church figures. So, for example, during a three-week stay in Kiev in September 1642, the Cypriot Archbishop Parthenius, according to embassy documents, had a conversation with the Kiev Metropolitan Peter Mohyla, during which a wide range of ecclesiastical and socio-political issues was discussed.
Thus, the dissemination of oral stories about Cyprus was not limited to Moscow. A Greek charter of 1623 by the Cypriot priest Nicephorus, written by him in Yaroslavl, has been preserved. His namesake - Archimandrite Nikifor, apparently also from Cyprus, was a recluse of the Androniev Monastery, and visiting Greeks turned to him. The charter of Archbishop Christodoulos of Cyprus (1626) written in “Russian letters” may indicate the presence of a Russian person on the island at the beginning of the 17th century. . A Greek manuscript of 1629 from the Sophia collection of “Instructions from the Gospel” preserved a Greek entry made by a Cypriot hand: “The hand of Matthew the priest and protonotary of the holy archdiocese of Cyprus. And those who read and turn (to this book - but. BUT.) pray to the Lord for him. Finished on August 1, 1629 (Christmas - but. BUT.) Christ.”
In the 1620s-30s. in Moscow there was a legend "About the Cyprus Island". It is quite possible that this legend, created in embassy circles, has come down to us in fragments made by the scribes of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. In terms of content and composition, the legend “On the island of Cyprus and on the foot of the Cross of Christ” is divided into three parts. Common to all three parts is the scene - the island of Cyprus. The first part of the story is devoted to the defense of the fortress of Kyrenia from the Turkish invaders. The second part of the story tells about the Assumption Monastery and its shrine - the icon “Letter of Luke the Evangelist” with the image of the Mother of God on the throne with the Infant Christ. In the third part of the story, we are talking about the Monastery of the Cross. It tells about the emperor Justinian I, who contributed to the decoration with silver of the shrine of the monastery - the foot of the Cross of Christ.
In the second half of the 17th century, the miraculous icon of the Cypriot Mother of God was already widely known in Russia. So, for example, in the collection of Ioannikius Galatovsky “The New Heaven” (Lvov, 1665) it is said: “In the island of Cyprus there was a church of the Most Holy Theotokos, and in that church there was an image of the Most Holy Theotokos on the gate, who sat on the throne and held Christ like a child on on their knees, and two angels stood on either side. A single day, passing by that church, one arapin shot the Most Holy Theotokos in the knee and at once blood came out of the shot wound and dripped to the ground, the arapin seeing that miracle turned angry and flowed away to his house, but before reaching the house he died on the road.
In Old Russian fine arts the second half - the end of the seventeenth century. sometimes a plot of a miracle was presented with an impious Saracen shooting an arrow at an icon, for example, among the 40 stamps framing the icon of the Cypriot Mother of God, originating from the Yaroslavl church of John the Baptist in Tolchkovo.
Subsequently, lists from the Cypriot Icon of the Mother of God appeared in Russian churches, and in late XIX- early XX centuries. in Russia, several icons were known that were designated by the same name Cypriot, among them - the icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus in the village of Stromynya, Moscow province, the icon of the Cypriot Mother of God in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral, the icon of the Cypriot Mother of God in the Moscow Nikolo-Golutvinskaya Church, the Cypriot icon of God Mother “Kikkskaya” (who enjoyed great fame in Russia, as evidenced by her image by the leading Moscow icon painter of the second half of the 17th century, Simon Ushakov), kept in the Florishcheva Hermitage.
A contemporary of Simon Ushakov, Fyodor Evtikhiev Zubov, painted the icon of the Cypriot Mother of God “in a tray for the great sovereign” in 1678. Often in ancient Russian painting of the XVI-XVII centuries. saints revered in Cyprus were depicted. Noteworthy, for example, is the fresco “Theodotus of Cyrineus”, presented in the painting of 1684 of the Assumption Cathedral of the Holy Trinity-Sergius Monastery.
Concluding the review of the Cypriot influence on Russian church painting, it is also necessary to mention the reverse process that took place during the period under consideration. So, for example, a ten-year stay in Moscow at the end of the 17th century of the Cypriot hieromonk Leonty from Levkosia (Nicosia) is known, who studied church painting here during this time, and returning to Cyprus, he began to teach this art and paint icons for many churches.
Cyprus and Russia in the first half of the 18th century
At the beginning of the 18th century, when Turkey's relations with European powers, including Russia, began to be streamlined, Russian Christians again had the opportunity to visit Cyprus on their way to the Holy Land. Notes about Cyprus contained in the essay “Pelgrimation or Traveler of the Honest Hieromonk Hippolytus of Vishensky to the Holy City of Jerusalem” (1708) date back to this time.
Ippolit Vishensky, a resident of the Borisoglebsky monastery in the diocese of Chernigov, went east from Nizhyn through Kiev, Iasi, Bucharest, Adrianople to Constantinople, from where by sea, visiting Cyprus, on April 9, 1708 sailed to Jaffa. “We went a lot from Mirlikia by sea, a hundred and fifty miles to the island of Cyprus, where St. Lazarus was after the Resurrection of Christ and after his resurrection a bishop for 30 years, and there is his coffin near Cyprus, and his relics were taken from their land by the Frengi”, - so Ippolit Vishensky describes his route to Cyprus, but at the same time admits one inaccuracy. So, if by “frengs” we mean the French (Catholics), then it should be borne in mind that the relics of St. Lazarus were transferred in 890 by order of Emperor Leo VI the Wise from Larnaca to Constantinople. According to the latest data, only a part of the relics was sent to Constantinople, and the relics themselves were buried in a sarcophagus. Then a church was built on this site, and the sarcophagus was discovered during excavations only in 1973.
Otherwise, the description of Ippolit Vishensky corresponds to historical reality, and he provides important information about the number of Orthodox monasteries that existed on the island at that time: where is the tomb of St. Lazarus and the miraculous lake outside the city; another city of Cyprus (Lefkosia, Nicosia), there is a pasha and a metropolitan, and there is a miraculous image of the Most Holy Theotokos, his own saint Luke wrote the evangelist. There are 24 monasteries in that island, and there are more than a hundred empty monasteries, only a place of nobility.”
As you know, the 5th century was marked by the struggle of the Cypriot Church for its autocephalous rights. Based on its apostolic origin and on local traditions, based on the 6th canon of the First Ecumenical Council (“similarly in Antioch and in other areas, so that the advantages of the Churches are preserved”), the Cypriot Church recognized itself as autocephalous, with the right to elect local bishops at the council of the primate of the Church from his midst. Emperor Zenon, in turn, issued a charter, which forbade the Patriarch of Antioch to interfere in the affairs of the Cypriot Church. The bishop of Constantius was appointed archbishop of the whole island with the right to wear a red robe during worship, to hold a scepter instead of a pastor's baton, to sign in red ink, to be titled - by the right of an autocephalous primate - "Blessed" and "most blessed".
The preservation of these historical traditions was testified as an eyewitness by Ippolit Vishensky, who reported in his notes that in Cyprus “there are three metropolitans, and the fourth above them is the eldest, there is an archbishop, and bishops, archimandrites and abbesses, and there are not a single patriarch rule over themselves." “And when Metropolitan Senior writes a letter to someone, he writes in a red letter: they have such behavior for themselves.”
Ippolit Vishensky reported on his visit to some Cypriot shrines: but. BUT.) churches, and they created: and his tomb is carved from stone<…>There, near that Cypriot island in another village, is the tomb of St. Spyridon.
But the stay of Ippolit Vishensky in Cyprus was not limited to attending divine services and exploring the island. On the eve of his departure from Cyprus, he had the opportunity to communicate with one of the Orthodox Cypriot hierarchs: but. BUT.) not far from another village, in the church of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos, and then the bishop served the service of God, and after the liturgy he asked us for a meal, and they ate with him, and he was eager to see us, because there few of our people come in ” . This ends the story of Ippolit Vishensky about Cyprus and, as he himself writes further, “at that time they went far away, and came against the city of Viruta (Beirut - but. BUT.)” .
The next written evidence of a visit to Cyprus is “Travel of a townsman Matvey Nechaev to Jerusalem (1719–1720)”. It should be noted that this dating is not accurate enough, since Nechaev himself wrote that he began his pilgrimage “of the summer from the Incarnation of the Word of God in 1721 July on the 16th day.” Nevertheless, this is another message in which there is some information confirming and clarifying the messages of Matvey Nechaev's predecessors. This pilgrim, having visited the island of Rhodes on his way, arrived in Cyprus “and as a pilgrim abie near the island of Cyprus, under the place where the monastery is, it was laid out in it, after his repose, Lazarus, friend of God, - and at anchor, until coast of a verst for 2<…>And standing in that monastery for 10 days, waiting for the ship to the city of Jaffa. In that monastery, in the church, under the holy meal, the honest relics of St. Lazarus, the friend of God, were laid, and from there they were transferred to Constantinople, the city, a place to know to this day.
Matvey Nechaev spoke about some of the difficulties that he experienced while staying on the island, where local Christians constantly felt the oppression of heterodox rulers. His notes also mention one Russian “unwritten” pilgrim who visited Cyprus on his way to the Holy Land at about the same time as Ippolit Vishensky (1708). “Then a monk came from Jerusalem by order of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, for the sake of collecting the treasury from the churches to the Holy Sepulcher and told that about us,” continues Matvey Nechaev. - He called us, and forbid the hegumen of the monastery about us, so that the Turks would not know about us, or others; because de “about ten years ago, a de Russian person arrived; he de had Voloshenin in his service (a native of Wallachia - but. BUT.) and by the teaching of the devil they broke up with each other; then, not being afraid of God, Voloshenin denounced the Russian man to the Turks and said unsimilar words to him, and that de from here he was going to Jerusalem; and they, the Turks, put a Russian man in a fortress; I sat under guard for a year, and at our request in Tsaregrad, I then kissed Mikhail Borisovich Sheremetyev, taking a letter from the vizier, by the Sultan's order they returned that Russian man to Tsargrad. And we are terribly afraid of that, and we live in that monastery with great fear and doubt day and night ... ".
The dangers that Matvey Nechaev faced during his stay on the island did not allow him to visit other Cypriot shrines: he was forced to leave Cyprus at the first opportunity and go to Jaffa: “Even on the first week of Great Lent, after matins and Mass, trusting in God , along with the Greeks, who had joined us, in their ship, with the help of God, entered without harm, protected by God's help and there we were taken away from Cyprus, the wind blowing safely over us ... ".
The period under consideration is characterized by the absence of hostilities between Russia and Turkey, which contributed to the growth in the number of Russian pilgrims to the Holy Land. Therefore, there is nothing surprising in the fact that the next written source, containing a mention of a visit to Cyprus, dates from almost the same time as Matvey Nechaev's "Walking". This is “Description of the journey of Hieromonk of the Rykhlovsky Nikolaev Monastery Sylvester and Nikodim to Constantinople and Jerusalem in 1722.”
This description is less than half preserved and is interrupted by the mention of sea route from Cyprus to Sidon. The second part of the manuscript was lost, apparently, as early as the 18th century. Both pilgrims were from among the brethren of the Rykhlovsky monastery of the Chernihiv diocese. “Having gone from Rhodes,” the “Description” says, “in a few days they came to the island of Cyprus, where St. Lazarus was a four-day bishop. We stood under this city for a day and a half, and we were in that city and walked wherever it was necessary. Boules in the church of St. Lazarus, in the name of his creation, where his coffin is still there, and we all climbed at the coffin of Lazarus and there were signified to the coffin of St. Lazarus in the church on the right side behind the throne; and the name of that city is Constantius (Larnaca). From there, going from the Cyprus Island<…>come to town<…>Sidon, which is remembered in the Gospel: “It will be gratifying for Tire and Sidon ...” .
Activity in Cyprus by V. G. Barsky (1726–1736)
One of the following “journeys” was the wanderings in the second quarter of the 18th century by Vasily Grigorievich Barsky (1701–1747). V. G. Barsky (Plaka-Albov), a native of Kiev, spent most of his life traveling in the East, which lasted almost a quarter of a century (1723–1747). In March 1725, he entered the borders of the Ottoman Empire. He visited Thessalonica, Athos, Cyprus, went around almost all of Palestine.
Barsky's ancestors were residents of the city of Bar, which in the 19th century was a provincial town of the Podolsk province of the Mogilev district. The pilgrim called himself Barsky after the city of Bar, the place of residence of his ancestors, and Plaka or Albov is a translation into Greek and Latin of the name Belyaev.
V. G. Barsky happened to visit Cyprus three times: in 1726, 1727 and 1734-36. His first visit to the island was brief and almost accidental. “Having our ship a few souls to come to Cyprus, for this sake, forgiveness for their sake and taking new water, svratih from the path to the shore”, - this is how Barsky explains the reason for his first visit to Cyprus. On September 19, 1726, together with the Greek monks heading to Jerusalem, he set foot on the shore of the island. Together with his fellow travelers, Barsky “goes up to two to the Christian church, which is very simple from stone, but strong and old structure”.
In spite of short time of his stay on the island, Barsky in his notes outlined the information that he could draw from the messages of his predecessors, who primarily paid attention to the gospel Lazarus. “The island of Cyprus is very large: around the whole earth it has seven hundred and fifty miles and more than once (as it is narrated among the people), but it has three or four cities,” wrote V. G. Barsky. - In this island, St. Lazarus was a bishop, whom Jesus raised from the dead in Bethany. Then resign yourself as a secondary tamo; his own coffin is still there, the relics of God knows kamo.
Further, Barsky reported on the monastery of Kykko, which was founded in the reign of the Byzantine emperor Alexei I Komnenos (1081–1118): “There is also a monastic cloister there, in which even the icon of the Blessed Lady of Our Lady of the Mother of God is kept, to the south the Evangelist Luke Ispis himself” . And indeed, a wonderful icon is still preserved in the Kykko monastery, which, according to legend, the founder of the monastery, the hermit Isaiah, brought from Constantinople at the end of the 11th century. But Barsky did not manage to visit this monastery on his first visit to Cyprus; this he did only during his second sojourn on the island. “Both no one from us visited that one, having soon taken away the ship, besides, that place was set aside in the mountains far away, for two days of walking, and could not do according to our desire, only the travelers of Jerusalem gathered together, having formed among themselves, mercy from penyads and sent in one high monastery”, - this is how Barsky ends his story about his first Cypriot impressions.
Being in Jerusalem in 1727, V. G. Barsky wanted to visit the Sinai and on April 17 set off by ship towards the mouth of the Nile - to Damietta. But the storm carried the ship to Cyprus: “Seeing the captain of the ship, as if the wind<…>let's go to the island of Cyprus, buying for the sake of bread and drawing water, so that the wind drives there." In these vicissitudes, Barsky saw the will of God and decided to stay in Cyprus for a long time in order to be able to bow to the Cypriot shrines. “Seeing az, like God there, even if you don’t want to, bring me, from there you will understand, as if looking for me, but I will pay tribute to the holy place that is found in Cyprus, I will give worship,” wrote Barsky.
On April 26, 1727, together with his companion, the Athos monk Dionysius, V. G. Barsky again descended to the Cypriot coast near Limassol: the essence is beautiful, it’s better from the plinths of the thieves, not scorched, built, but on a flat, cheerful and soft field, it stands with a breeze,” Barsky wrote about Limassol. Four days later he was already in Nicosia, where he had an audience with the head of the Cypriot Church, who was then Sylvester (1718–1731): her episcopal blessing, sent us away for a short stay to a hotel, at the church of St. Anthony, standing, sometimes even a monastery, now a secular church.
V. G. Barsky also managed to visit a number of temples and monasteries of Cyprus, located in various parts of the island; he visited the capital's church of St. Sophia, turned by the Turks into a mosque: “Most of all, the church of St. Sophia is still found, great and very beautiful, from a carved stone building, even from afar outside the city is seen,” Barsky wrote. “Now the Turks have turned it into their own mosque, where they pray when they gather, and there is no way for a Christian to go inside.” Barsky also provides important information about the number of churches that were in Nicosia in 1727: there is not a single Greek inside the monastery, but the French is one and the Armenian church is one.”
In the description of Larnaca, V. G. Barsky traditionally mentioned the episcopal ministry of St. Lazarus in this city and, in addition, noted the presence of non-Orthodox Christians here: “There is a single French church in Larnats and a monastery of Frenchmen, Roman monks” . Barsky made a pilgrimage to the famous monastery of Kikko and described the miraculous icon that had been kept in the monastery church since ancient times: - Her writing is not seen, - everything is covered, except for the face, with a silver-plated shatoy. Miraculous from ancient times - even to Nina - glorified; before her, for every day, a prayerful canon is sung. Not only the Cypriot people, but also the neighboring distant strangers in great veneration have that icon.
Barsky was also able to visit the monastery of St. Mamant, which was separated from the Kykksky monastery “by a single day of walking”. Speaking about the monastery church of this monastery, Barsky noted that “the church is truly molded in everything, in its right wall there is an icon of the holy martyr Mamant and the coffin is marble, where the netians say that the essence of the relics, the friends say that they are not the essence, hedgehog there is more likely, because in the Turkish land the whole power of the present centuries can hardly be seen anywhere. Be aware of this, as if from his tomb the myrrh appears, they are smeared with orthodoxy, they receive healing with an ailment.
Before leaving Cyprus, Barsky visited the monastery of the Holy Cross, located on a high mountain. In his essay, Barsky repeats the information of his predecessors, who mentioned the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Elena, who visited these places on the way from Jerusalem, and then gives a brief description of the monastery: low in structure, but fair; they have two heads on top, but inside they are supported by six pillars, sometimes they are trinitarian, but only on the middle throne they serve liturgies; the cells in the monastery are few, only four or five, and they are close to the church in the creation of the essence.
After spending 3 days in this monastery, Barsky then boarded a French ship, intending to get on it to Alexandria, and on July 18, 1727, “shipped off the glorious island of sea Cyprus”. But the fate of Barsky developed in such a way that he happened to visit Cyprus for the third time, and this time turned out to be the most fruitful both for his study of Cypriot shrines and for the development of Russian-Cypriot church relations.
In September 1734, Barsky again went to Cyprus. The then Archbishop of Cyprus Philotheus, who lived in Nicosia, having learned about the arrival of Barsky and that he spoke Latin, persuaded him to stay for the winter in Cyprus to teach this language in an Orthodox Greek school. Barsky agreed thanks to these "benevolent words." Barsky's teaching lasted from October 1734 to April 1735. The disasters that befell Cyprus interrupted Barsky's studies. On Holy Week there happened strong earthquake, and soon an epidemic of plague joined this disaster. The Cypriot archbishop Philotheus “left the throne”, retired to one of the distant monasteries, and V. G. Barsky, “dressed in hooded robes<…>izidokh from the city, named Leukos, and walking on foot between mountains and deserts, passing from the monastery to the monastery for the sake of sight and worship.
Having examined the Cypriot Orthodox monasteries, after the plague, Barsky again returned to Levkosia, where he lived until August 1736. But the war that arose between Turkey and Russia prompted him to hurry with his departure to the island of Patmos, where at that time only Greeks lived and there were no Turks.
At the time of V. G. Barsky, there were more than sixty active monasteries in Cyprus, in addition, many monasteries were deserted, as evidenced by the tireless pilgrim himself: monks are still being acquired, ”wrote Barsky, noting that “besides being quiet, many are empty and devastated, from heavy tributes and intolerable Turkish dirty tricks.”
Possessing the gift of an artist, Barsky tried to capture the monasteries he visited, about which he reported in his notes: I depicted twenty of the finest hand with my own hands. ” Scientific historical meaning"Cypriot cycle" of Barsky's wanderings is huge. Today, when most of the Cypriot monasteries have ceased to exist, Barsky's descriptions and drawings are the only historical eyewitness evidence of these monasteries. Barsky's notes now attract the attention of not only domestic, but also Cypriot church historians, who have devoted a number of studies to his handwritten notes.
Brief mention should be made of future fate V. G. Barsky and his manuscript heritage. On September 5, 1747, Barsky returned to Kiev and a month after his return to his homeland, he died without having time to completely put his notes in order. The great interest that Barsky's notes once aroused among Orthodox readers is evidenced by the fact that they were published six times before 1819; the first edition appeared in 1779. Moreover, long before their publication, Barsky's notes were widely distributed in handwritten form. In 1885–1887 The Orthodox Palestinian Society has published a 4-volume edition of Barsky's "Wanderings". This edition was made according to the original manuscript of Barsky, edited by N.P. Barsukov, a well-known Russian archaeographer, bibliographer and historian.
Cyprus and Russia in the late 18th - early 19th centuries.
After the hasty departure of V. G. Barsky from Cyprus in 1736 in connection with the beginning of Russian-Turkish hostilities, circumstances did not favor pilgrims from Russia to visit this island for a long time. Therefore, the following written evidence about Cyprus dates back to the time of the end of the next Russian-Turkish war and the conclusion of the Kuchuk-Kaynarji Treaty, according to which Russia received the right to appoint its consuls to certain points of the Ottoman Empire. So, in 1784, consuls were appointed to Alexandria, Albania, Saida, Cyprus, Chios, Samos, and then to Damascus, Beirut (1785) and Trabzon (1786).
One of the Russian researchers, M. G. Kokovtsev, who visited the Mediterranean in those years, wrote about Cyprus: “Nicosia is now the capital city, in which the local metropolitan has a residence, during the Crusades it was taken by the King of England Richard (Richard in 1190 - but. BUT.) and then given into the possession of the French prince Gvilusignan (Guy Lusignan - but. BUT.), which descendants owned until the expulsion of Christians from Palestine. After that, the Venetians took possession of it, but the Turks, intensifying, took it from them. On the south side is another great city of Famagosti with a fair roadstead and a small pier. Now it is considered to be about one hundred thousand inhabitants of Mukhamedans and Greeks” .
But this is the testimony of a secular representative from Russia. And here is what Hieromonk Meletius from the Sarov Hermitage, who visited Cyprus in 1793, wrote about this island: In the morning, at sunrise, the storm and darkness began to subside, and the aforementioned island became visible. Passing through it on November 20, we had in mind the city of Paphos (Paphos) on the left, in which the holy Apostle Paul resisted the word of the Gospel of Elim the sorcerer (Acts 13:11), and who wanted to corrupt Anfipat Sergius from the faith, a punishment of blindness, not to see the sun until the time, but On the 21st day around noon we passed Lemes (Limassol)”.
Further, Hieromonk Meletios cites interesting information indicating that the history of Russian-Cypriot church relations is not limited to written evidence. “In this city (Paphos - but. BUT.) they told me, - Hieromonk Meletius wrote further, - of a certain Russian, the body in the coffin is preserved imperishably. He bowed to the holy places in Jerusalem and returned, and died here.
Hieromonk Meletios, like his predecessors, visited Larnaca and venerated the tomb of St. Lazarus, noting that his relics were transported to Constantinople under Emperor Leo VI (886–912): “In the morning of the 22nd, with many passengers, I went ashore ( in Larnaca - but. BUT.) and with fellow believers went to worship in the church of St. Lazarus, Christ in Bethany resurrected him from the dead, - reported Hieromonk Meletios. - His coffin, which is revered by Christians, was made in the church inside the earth under the throne, in a cramped cave on the western side. They descend into it from the right side of the altar, by a narrow stone staircase. His relics are evidenced by the synaxarion on Saturday Vaii, that the wisest king Leo transferred them from there to Constantinograd and put them in the temple created in his name. Where they are now found is unknown.
If the messages of a number of Russian pilgrims were limited to mentioning Larnaca and Nicosia, then the records of Hieromonk Meletius contain valuable information about the pilgrimage to the famous Kykksky monastery: to the miraculous image of the Most Holy Theotokos, to the Kikko Monastery,” wrote Hieromonk Meletius. On the way to Kykko, Hieromonk Meletius stopped to rest in Christian villages, which in those days of Turkish domination were not so common in the remote parts of the island. Describing one of them, hieromonk Meletius noted that the church, located in this village, “is of a new construction, is fair, and has a cross on its head. When I saw this Christian sign for the first time in Turkey in a church, I rejoiced. Not far from sowing in the ruins of an ancient church in the altar eastern wall on a mountainous place is written good art image of Christ the Savior. The overshadowing hands are depicted with the fingers of IC XC. We came to spend the night in metoch (in the courtyard - but. BUT.) of the Kykksky monastery, where, as usual, they are received, treated and laid to rest. In the morning they went to church for morning singing, and on it they listened to the holy liturgy without spending<…>The church is wooden, standing in the middle of the courtyard of the Archangel Michael.
The path of Hieromonk Meletios and his companions was long: “Toward evening we arrived at another Kykkian metoch of Sts. Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus,” continued Hieromonk Meletios. - This courtyard is located near the sea<…>The church here is also wooden, but much smaller than the Arkhangelsk one.
The path from the Cypriot coast to Kykko, founded in the depths of a mountain range, was difficult, and this pilgrimage took more than one day, as can be seen from the message of Hieromonk Meletios: and, having traveled a certain distance, they climbed mountains covered with forest and mottled greenery. On this way we passed one Christian village, standing between the mountains in a dense forest with flowing waters.<…>About evening we came to the monastery, and were received in it kindly, they gave us a large living room for our stay.
Hieromonk Meletius paid attention to the description of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God kept in this ancient monastery: royal doors from the north side. By measure, it is similar to the Vladimir one, which is found in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral. Image of her: Jesus Christ, like a baby, sits at the Mother of God on the left hand, bowing down for Her right hand, with which She, embracing Him from behind, above the hand of the composition, holds His right hand, holding a scroll written in Greek words (Isaiah 61: 1): The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for the sake of anointing me, to preach and others."
Hieromonk Meletius already knew the image of this miraculous icon, which is usually hidden from the eyes of pilgrims. “I took this description from a copy,” Hieromonk Meletius noted in his notes, “the very original is overlaid with a silver robe and covered from top to bottom with a veil, which, when kissing the Icon, is one, just the corner from the bottom opens. Sowing the holy icon, an exact image is found in the Florishcheva Hermitage in the cathedral church.
In the notes of Hieromonk Meletios, a legend about the icon of the Kykk Mother of God is set forth, which was not previously found in other authors. Noting that this miraculous image is one of the three icons painted by the holy apostle and evangelist Luke, Hieromonk Meletius writes further that this icon “was brought to the place of Kikko from the royal chambers, in the years of the Greek autocrat Alexei Komnenos. The daughter of this sovereign, a virgin named Anna, in a serious illness, praying to the Most Holy Theotokos for her healing, was notified that she would receive health if her icon, which was in their royal chambers, would be taken to Cyprus to the place of Kikko in the monastery. Having heard about this, the king, the father of the sick girl, immediately through the eparch of Cyprus with great honor sends that icon to the place shown ... ".
It is known that the Greek Cypriots were persecuted by the Turks during the Turkish rule in Cyprus, but, as Hieromonk Meletios testified, the Turks made an exception for the Kikko monastery for the sake of the revered icon of the Mother of God: “This monastery (Kikko - but. BUT.) for the sake of the guardian of his Blessed Virgin Mary, the Turks themselves have respect, - Meletius noted. - They call Her icon Buyuk Panagia, which means from the first Turkish, the second Greek words “Great All-Holy”. Taxes and tributes are less demanded of him than other monasteries. However, both the monastery and the most Mother of God icon among the Greeks are called Panagia Kikko, according to the trees growing here, kikos called".
Hieromonk Meletius also visited another Cypriot monastery - the monastery of St. Mamas, having gone there from Kykko. He wrote a brief description of the monastery church: “The Church of the Holy Martyr Mamant, in its proportion in everything, is fairly and contented in space. Its top is fixed on ten pillars, and Christians do not have a church similar to it in all of Cyprus. It was built, as you can hear, during the possession of Cyprus by the Venetians.
Hieromonk Meletios also visited Nicosia, where the results of Turkish domination over the population of the island were clearly manifested: “Lefkosia or Nicosia, the city on the island of Cyprus is the first,” he wrote. - A Turkish pasha, who governs all of Cyprus, and a Greek archbishop, who, according to ancient law, in no way dependent on the patriarch, are himself the supreme judge of the Cypriot Christians<…>The best and most magnificent building in it is, standing in the middle of the city, the ancient Christian church of Holy Wisdom (Sofia - but. BUT.), which was turned into a mosque by the Turks” .
Hieromonk Meletius noted that the Greek population of the island outnumbered the Turkish community and other minorities: “The inhabitants of it (Cyprus - but. BUT.) the inhabitants are of three clans: Turks, Greeks and Armenians, the number of Greeks is greater, but the Armenians are in small numbers, just in Nicosia. And it is no coincidence that the inhabitants of the island saw in the person of Hieromonk Meletios a representative of a powerful Orthodox state, to which at that time many Orthodox peoples who were under the yoke of Turkish rule were mentally turning their gaze. “While passing through Cyprus,” Hieromonk Meletius wrote, “some people asked me: when will Empress Catherine come here to save us, like the Crimea, from enslavement?” .
In this regard, it can be noted that in those days the Kikko monastery had its own possessions in Russia. In another Cypriot monastery - Maheira, in the second half of the 18th century, during the service, they read a prayer "for our great lady, Russian Empress Catherine and her royal house." Obviously, this prayer was a kind of appeal of the Cypriots for help in their liberation struggle.
At the beginning of the 19th century, there were still unfavorable conditions in Cyprus for those Russian pilgrims who visited this island. This can be seen from the “Travel notes of the Kaluga province of the noblemen Veshnyakovs and the Medyn merchant Novikov”, who visited Cyprus on their way to Palestine at the end of 1804.
These pilgrims reached Cyprus in the Paphos region: “On the 22nd of December (1804 - but. BUT.) The sailors who first saw the ground from the mast shouted: Kypros! Cypros! For several hours we approached Paphos<…>lying on a low coast ... ".
Coming ashore in a more convenient harbor of Larnaca, called the Venetian Pier, the pilgrims met here the Archbishop of Sinai Constantine, who arrived in Cyprus from Jerusalem, “who had previously been the archimandrite of the monastery of St. according to ancient tradition, in Jerusalem at the Holy Sepulcher to the Archbishop of Sinai, and who, on his way to Egypt, was forced to delay in Larnaca due to a contrary wind. He learned that the Russians who had taken a trip to Palestine were on the ship, and wanted to see them.<…>He received me very affectionately, - the author of the notes further narrates, - and talked to me about various matters in Russian, in which he is very knowledgeable.
The author of the story gives in his essay a number of interesting details about the daily life and traditions of the Cypriot Orthodox Christian. He writes, for example, that “in Turkey, Christians do not observe a three-year probation when they are ordained to monasticism; one who wishes to announce only who should be, fasts for one week, confesses, partakes of the Holy Mysteries, and then is tonsured; if he wishes to be a hieromonk<…>then it is done without hindrance, and with the letter given to him by the consecrating despot, that is, the bishop, he has the right to move from monastery to monastery, or live in cities and villages, practice any trades<…>In almost every monastery, besides hieromonks, there are archimandrites or bishops, some also live in the houses of the laity.
The author of the notes was aware that many features in the life of the Cypriot clergy were due to the difficult conditions generated by the Turkish oppression, about which he writes further: “The bishop, even the patriarch himself, cannot be distinguished from a simple monk when they are not in vestments; insignia are prohibited, as is the wearing of a hood over a kamilavka. And so everyone, without exception, has on themselves an ordinary monastic clothes” . Nevertheless, the author noted with satisfaction the vitality of the Cypriot Orthodox Church, the best representatives which they managed to resist the influence of other faiths, relying on monasteries as a stronghold of Orthodoxy: “In Cyprus alone, there are up to three hundred Greek monasteries that own arable land, have mulberry forests, vineyards, and take care of cattle breeding and beekeeping; this is the main providence, which provides them with maintenance and a means to pay taxes to the government and diocesan bishops.
But Turkish domination in Cyprus was a reality that the Russian pilgrims had to reckon with, and they were forced to abandon the trip to the Kikk monastery: “Our Christian companions and we wanted to bow to the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, located in the Kikko monastery, 8 hours away from Larnaca move; but in this we were prevented by the indignation produced by the Pasha of Levkosia, ”the author of the story reported with regret, who, together with his companions, soon after left Larnaca for Palestine.
Cyprus and Russia in the 19th century
In 1835, Avram Semyonovich Norov (1795–1869) undertook his first journey to the East. Member of the Patriotic War, he left military service in 1823; in 1854 he was appointed minister of public education. He was a full member of the Academy of Sciences in the department of the Russian language and literature. About Norov's book Journey to the Seven Churches Mentioned in the Apocalypse, Chernyshevsky said that it "is as distinguished by the merits of presentation as by its scholarly merits."
A. S. Norov suggested that Atlantis could not be in the Atlantic Ocean, but was in the eastern part mediterranean sea, occupying the space between Cyprus, Sicily and Lesbos, and that the island of Cyprus is the remnant of the sunken Atlantis. “This island once filled almost the entire space now occupied by the sea between Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt, and extended to the west to Tirrenia,” wrote A. S. Norov.
A. S. Norov had the opportunity to visit Cyprus during his return from the Holy Land, when, having sailed from Beirut, he reached the Cypriot coast near Limassol by ship. But at that time, a plague epidemic broke out in the city, and therefore the pilgrims did not go ashore. However, A. S. Norov in his essay devoted space to the description of the Cypriot shrines associated with the names of the Apostle Barnabas and St. John the Merciful.
The Apostle Barnabas was the first bishop in Cyprus, where he received the crown of martyrdom. During the reign of Emperor Zeno, the incorruptible body of Saint Barnabas was found with the Gospel of Saint Matthew, written by Barnabas' own hand, which lay on his chest. The Christians of Limassol especially honor the memory of St. John the Merciful, who was born here from wealthy parents. Having lost his wife and children, he devoted himself to solitude and service to the poor and mournful; he called them his masters and used all his wealth to support and comfort them. Having been called to the patriarchal throne of Alexandria, he became a benefactor not only to the poor, but also to the churches of the entire East. During the Persian invasion, he helped the Bishop of Jerusalem Modest to restore the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and other holy places in Palestine. John Moskh and Sofroniy were his disciples. Feeling his death, he ordered to be transported to Limassol, where he reposed. The relics of St. John were transferred to Constantinople, then given as a gift to Matthias, King of Hungary, and are now kept in the Cathedral of Pressburg.
Shortly after the departure of A. S. Norov from the Cypriot shores, the island was visited by Hieromonk Anikita (prince S. A. Shirinsky-Shikhmatov in the world). While still serving in the Naval Corps in 1804–1827, he dreamed of traveling to holy places. Having received a long leave in 1820 to restore his frustrated health, Prince Sergius undertook a journey through the Russian holy places in the dead of winter and visited Novgorod and Moscow monasteries and shrines. Having accepted monasticism in 1830 in the St. George's Monastery with the name of Anikita, in April 1834 he went on a pilgrimage to the East.
Like A. S. Norov, Hieromonk Anikita first saw Cyprus on his way to the Holy Land, but the plague still raged on the island, and there was no question of landing on the shore. “Sailing from Rhodes,” wrote Hieromonk Anikita, “we set sail, and because of the calm, with quiet fair winds, we reached Cyprus no earlier than on the 28th (August 1835 - but. BUT.) around noon, and having approached the pier of Lipael, they brought the Cypriot merchant who was with us with his son and goods to quarantine, without communicating with any of the inhabitants, because the plague still continued in places on the island. On the same date, they set off from Cyprus to Jaffa ... ".
On the way back from Jerusalem to his homeland, in April 1836, in Jaffa, Father Anikita unexpectedly received a decree from the Synod appointing him to Athens to the staff of the church of the Russian embassy. Having gone to the place of his new destination, hieromonk Anikita, by the will of fate, found himself again in Cyprus. “From the 11th to the 12th (April 1836 - but. BUT.) in the evening the wind became very strong and developed great excitement. Having lasted a day under sail, due to the impossibility of continuing their navigation safely, they went down to the island of Cyprus and at 5 o'clock in the evening anchored in the roadstead of the port of Larnaco. - Hieromonk Anikita noted in his notes.
Here, hieromonk Anikita hurried to the church of St. Lazarus "to venerate part of the holy relics and his holy tomb, which is under the holy meal." Hieromonk Anikita's ill condition was the cause of the accident that happened to him while visiting this temple.
“Not knowing the location, I rushed, a sinner, entered the altar, to worship and kiss the holy meal (throne - but. BUT.), and (so) as this place was not illuminated, and most of all, by the permission of God, it fell from the expense into the vestibule, which enters the very coffin with a ladder down many steps, ”wrote hieromonk Anikita about his unsuccessful attempt.
Having recovered from the shock, he made a second attempt, which turned out to be more successful: and after bowing and kissing the coffin of the righteous man, he went to the consul in the Marine part in Larnako,” Hieromonk Anikita noted, adding that the very next day, April 18, his ship left the Cypriot shores and headed for Greece. But his activity in the capital of Greece was short-lived. On June 7, 1837, Anikita's father died in Athens. His ashes were transported to Athos and buried in the Ilyinsky Skete.
In 1849, the Russian poet and critic P. A. Vyazemsky (1792–1878) visited Cyprus. In June 1849, from his estate near Moscow in the village of Ostafievo, he undertook a journey to the East. He lived for several months in Constantinople, visited Asia Minor and was honored to bow in Jerusalem to the Holy Life-Giving Sepulcher of the Savior. To Cyprus, P. A. Vyazemsky, like many other Russian pilgrims, sailed from Rhodes. “On the island of Cyprus, the city of Larnaca; we were received very cordially by both the clergy and secular residents, probably also because we were on a steamer from Smyrna with a Cypriot resident who introduced us to his compatriots, ”recalled P. A. Vyazemsky. - A special note contains the names of all the persons with whom we, for three or four hours met and became friends.”
Cyprus in those years was still under Turkish rule, and although the Christian Cypriots managed to preserve their religion, culture and traditions under those difficult conditions, they were still largely limited in their daily lives. Here is what P. A. Vyazemsky wrote about one of these problems: “The clergy of the monastery of St. Lazarus, who, after his resurrection, lived and died on the island of Cyprus, submitted a note to me asking for permission to ring the bell. At my entrance to the monastery, they rang the bell, but asked me, just in case the Turkish authorities would exact for this violation general decree, to say that I brought this bell as a gift to the monastery, and we made one experiment.
During these years in Russia Orthodox Christians were still widely acquainted with the works of Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus; new translations into Russian of his sermons appeared in the church press: “Word on the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ”, Word on the week Vay, Word on the Holy Christ's Resurrection, Oration Against the Sabellians , "An Exposition of the Catholic Faith - from the Third Book of Against Heresies" , Sermon on Holy Saturday . Since 1863, the publication of the Works of St. Epiphanius of Cyprus in Russian translation began at the Moscow Theological Academy, and in 1884 the 6th part of his works was published.
Domestic historians in those years they devoted their research to the history of Christianity in Cyprus. So, in the journal "Spiritual Reading" for 1866, an article by Abbot Arseny "Greek Uniates of the island of Cyprus in the 13th-16th centuries" was published. . But Special attention devoted to the history of Orthodoxy on this long-suffering island. Translations were carried out from the modern Greek language into Russian of those works that contained information about the Cypriot Church in the most difficult period of its history - the times of Turkish domination. So, in 1862, the priest Pyotr Sokolov translated from the modern Greek language the book “Christian martyrs who suffered in the East since the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks” (St. Petersburg, 1862). Among others, the lives of Christian Cypriot martyrs were set forth here, such as St. George of Ptolemaidia (born in Cyprus, suffered in 1752 in Ptolemaida (Acre)), the holy Great Martyr Polyodorus (born in Cyprus, in Leukosia, suffered in 1794 in new Ephesus) .
Russo-Turkish War 1877–78 opened before the peoples enslaved by the Turks, a real possibility of liberation from the Turkish yoke. One could count on the improvement of the situation of the Christians of Cyprus. The Turkish empire was on the verge of collapse, the aggravation of relations between England and Russia on this basis, the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and the desire of England to seize Egypt in order to exercise control over the shortest route to India - all this forced England to look for a stronghold in the eastern part of the Mediterranean seas. Emphasizing the great strategic importance of Cyprus, Lord Disraeli wrote to the Queen in May 1878 that as a result of the acquisition of the island of Cyprus, “the power of England in the Mediterranean, as well as Her Majesty’s Indian Empire, will be significantly strengthened. Cyprus is the key to East Asia” .
Thus, fearing the strengthening of Russia in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, England in 1878 secretly agreed with Turkey on the “temporary” transfer of Cyprus to her control in exchange for a guarantee by England of the northeastern borders of Asiatic Turkey. With the end of the Turkish oppression, the Orthodox Christians of Cyprus experienced a significant improvement in their situation. The paths of Russian pilgrims to the Holy Land have also become safer. At the end of the 19th century, domestic researchers began an in-depth study of the history of the Cypriot Orthodox Church and its shrines.
In the autumn of 1895, the Russian scientist Ya. I. Smirnov visited Cyprus. There he carried out a detailed study of two ancient Cypriot mosaic images of the Mother of God. On September 15, 1895, Ya. I. Smirnov visited the village of Kiti near Larnaca and carried out a detailed photographic survey of the most ancient Christian mosaic of the island in the church of Panagia Angeloszdannoy (Panagia Angeloktistos).
As you know, the ancient name of Larnaca is Kition. But the ancient pilgrims say nothing about the existence of any miraculous image of the Mother of God in Larnaca. However, near Larnaca is the village of Kiti, to which the name of the ancient Kition passed, probably after some devastating ruin and desolation of the city, and in this village in the Church of the Mother of God, an ancient mosaic of the Blessed Virgin was preserved. The news of this mosaic image of the Mother of God is in the conciliar message of three Eastern patriarchs and 185 bishops who gathered in 836 in the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem to defend icon veneration against the iconoclastic policy of Emperor Theophilus.
Back in 1736, the Russian pilgrim V. G. Barsky testified that he saw “outside the city of Larna”, “in the village of Kita, the temple is lepot, which was earlier the bishop’s throne, there and the miraculous image of the Virgin, planted with stones from the musia, and from the arap there was no time struck, the blood is told. Starting to study this mosaic image, Ya. I. Smirnov talked with one of the Cypriot hieromonks in the Kanakaria monastery, and he gave him a number valuable advice about the legends about this image.
Ya. I. Smirnov came to the conclusion that although the church of Panagia is of the Byzantine type of the 10th-11th centuries, it is, however, not older than the dominion of the Franks or the Lusignans (1192-1302), but “at the sight of the eastern part of the church from the outside, the exorbitantly small the dimensions of the apse, which do not at all correspond to the size of the church. This, according to Ya. I. Smirnov, is explained by the fact that the current church was built on a much older apse than itself. The reason for this was, of course, only the ancient mosaic that was preserved in its conch.
This ancient image The Mother of God attracted the attention of domestic specialists. Not content with sketchy photographs of this ancient monument, the Committee for the Guardianship of Russian Icon Painting ordered in 1907 the artist N.K. Kluge a watercolor copy of this mosaic. N. K. Kluge worked in the Kitian church in the autumn of 1907. In addition to photographic and watercolor reproduction of the apse mosaic, he also made architectural drawings of the building and transferred all the materials to the Russian Archaeological Institute in Constantinople.
On the basis of these materials, another domestic researcher, F. I. Schmit, conducted a detailed study of this mosaic image of the Mother of God, using the latest scientific data for his time, as a result of which he was able to conclude that “the most probable, according to general historical considerations, the date of construction Kitian church - the second half of the 9th century.
The description of the Kitian mosaic was paid great attention to by the largest specialist in the field of church art - N.P. Kondakov, who dated it to the middle of the 7th century.
Returning to the scientific activity of Ya. I. Smirnov in Cyprus, it is necessary to mention another discovery of the Russian researcher. On September 12–13, 1895, he conducted research in the church of Panagia Kanakaria and here discovered another, even more ancient mosaic, which he dated to the end of the 5th - beginning of the 6th century.
The second Cypriot mosaic found by Ya. I. Smirnov is located in the church of Panagia Kanakaria on the Karpasian peninsula of Cyprus in its northeastern part. This church, like the Kitian one, is now a restructuring of a large ancient temple, which had a wide apse with a mosaic monumental image of the Mother of God, sitting on a throne with the Christ child on her knees.
Russian and Cypriot Orthodox Churches in modern times
The next episode in the history of Russian-Cypriot church relations dates back to the very beginning of the 20th century, when the so-called “Cypriot church question” arose. This problem arose after the death in 1900 of Archbishop Sophronius of Cyprus and another Metropolitan of Cyprus. A struggle broke out on the island between the supporters of the two remaining metropolitans. The intervention of the Patriarch of Constantinople, who appointed Metropolitan Kirill of Kyrenia as Archbishop of Cyprus, failed to resolve the problems. In an effort to get out of this situation, the Patriarchate of Constantinople turned to the Russian Orthodox Church with a request to recognize the appointed Metropolitan Kirill as canonical. But the representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, not wanting to worsen Russian-Cypriot church relations, refrained from interfering in the internal affairs of the Cypriot Orthodox Church, thus showing proper wisdom and understanding of the canonical position of this ancient Church.
The crisis was resolved only after the consent of the Patriarch of Constantinople to the resignation of Kirill, who never took up the archiepiscopal duties of Kyrenia, and to the election, through Patriarch Photius of Alexandria, as Archbishop of New Justiniana and all Cyprus, Cyril, Metropolitan of Kition.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, Russian Orthodox Christians sent generous donations to Cyprus, and especially to the well-known Kikko monastery in Russia. Valuable lampadas, chandeliers, candlesticks, liturgical gospels, miters, vessels and other Russian-made ecclesiastical items stored in the monastery serve as evidence of close ties with the Kikko monastery. On one bell you can read the inscription: “To the monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos, called Kikko, on the island of Cyprus, by the diligence of Russian Orthodox and the diligence of a resident of Moscow, Ekaterina Obramova, in the workshop of Bogdanov. 80 poods”. In another Cypriot monastery - Mahera, many different church items from Russia are also kept.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Russian church historians continued to study the life of Orthodoxy in Cyprus; among a number of publications devoted to this topic, one can note the work of I. I. Sokolov “The Cypriot Orthodox Church” (St. Petersburg, 1909) . After the outbreak of World War I, Russian-Cypriot church ties were interrupted. In the next few decades, the Cypriot Orthodox Church experienced hard times. The English administration of the island in every possible way prevented the consecration of new bishops and the replacement of the vacant sees. Thus, for 14 years (1933-1947) Paphos Metropolitan Leonty was the only Orthodox bishop in Cyprus.
In the summer of 1942, there was a real threat of the Germans seizing the island, who were hatching plans for a breakthrough to the Middle East. However, the defeat of the German troops on the Volga at the beginning of 1943 frustrated these plans, and therefore the German plan to capture Cyprus was not realized.
In the years after the Second World War, Russian-Cypriot church ties began to gradually resume. Joint participation in pan-Orthodox meetings, in the work of the World Council of Churches led to the establishment of contacts between representatives of the Cypriot and Russian Orthodox Churches. Thus, at the celebrations in honor of the 50th anniversary of the hierarchal service of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I of Moscow and All Russia, among others, a delegation from the Cypriot Orthodox Church arrived in Moscow.
Over the past decade, ties between the Russian and Cypriot Orthodox Churches have continued to grow stronger. In December 1976, at the invitation of Archbishop Macarius of Cyprus, a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church headed by Metropolitan of Tula and Belevsky (now Krutitsky and Kolomna) Yuvenaly made a trip to Cyprus.
In 1977, the Cypriot Orthodox Church suffered a heavy loss: on August 3, its primate, Archbishop Macarius, died. On August 4, a delegation consisting of Metropolitan Philaret of Berlin and Central Europe (now Minsk and Belarus) and Archbishop Pitirim of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, left for Cyprus to attend the funeral of His Beatitude Archbishop Macarius.
May 9 to May 15, 1978 His Holiness Patriarch Pimen of Moscow and All Russia at the head of the delegation visited the Cypriot Orthodox Church. The delegation visited the ancient Cypriot monasteries of Kikko and Mahera. His Holiness Patriarch Pimen celebrated the litia at the grave of the deceased primate of the Cypriot Orthodox Church, Archbishop Macarius, and laid a wreath on his grave.
From May 22 to June 7, 1978, a delegation of the Cypriot Orthodox Church headed by the newly elected Archbishop of New Justiniana and all Cyprus, His Beatitude Chrysostom, was in our country. From May 25 to May 29, the delegation took part in the celebrations of the Russian Orthodox Church dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the restoration of the patriarchate in Russia.
Relations between the two Churches are also developing at the youth level. In the spring of 1982, a delegation of Orthodox youth from the Middle East visited our country, which included Cypriot Orthodox Christians. In November 1983, a youth delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church visited Cyprus on a return visit at the invitation of the youth department of the Near East Council of Churches and had a meeting with His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostom.
In June 1988, a delegation of the Cypriot Orthodox Church headed by Archbishop Chrysostomos visited our country to take part in the celebrations marking the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia.
In January 1989, about two hundred pages of archival materials were handed over to our country, telling about the history of relations between the peoples of Russia and Cyprus. Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Justice and Minister to the President of the Republic of Cyprus Christodoulos Chrysanthou highly appreciated the then level of Soviet-Cypriot relations, in particular, in the field of culture. The transfer of archives took place in response to a similar move by the Soviet Union, which provided Cyprus in 1988 with a number of valuable historical documents on relations between Russia and Cyprus.
In October 1990, the All-Union Festival of Greek Culture and Art was held in Moscow, in which not only Greeks who lived in our country, but also guests from Cyprus and Greece took part. M. Gorbachev's greeting addressed to the participants of the festival, in particular, said: “More than one generation in our country was brought up on the spiritual values of the Hellenes. With the adoption of Christianity, Byzantine culture influenced the life of our peoples for centuries. The Greeks who had long lived in Russia were in the forefront of the fighters for the liberation of Greece from the foreign yoke. Many Greek names will forever remain in our common history. In light of this, I wish the full success of your festival, which is held with such a representative participation of Greeks from abroad. I also hope that it will serve to strengthen the good relations of the USSR with Greece, Cyprus and the entire Greek diaspora.
A significant contribution to the development of Russian-Cypriot relations was the visit to Moscow on October 27-31, 1991 by the President of the Republic of Cyprus. During the visit, negotiations were held with Russian President B.N. Yeltsin, contacts were made with the leadership Krasnodar Territory where he has long lived big number ethnic Greeks.
Since the early 1990s Russian-Cypriot relations, both interchurch and interstate, began to develop intensively. The main events in this area can be presented in chronological order.
On April 7, 1992, the Republic of Cyprus recognized Russia as the successor and successor of the USSR, with which it maintained diplomatic relations since August 1960.
On October 15, 1992, the President of the Republic of Cyprus paid a working visit to Russia. A Memorandum on the principles of economic cooperation was signed, as well as an intergovernmental Agreement on cooperation in the development of the Black Sea region of Russia (Krasnodar Territory).
In June 1994, a delegation of the Cypriot Parliament headed by its chairman visited Moscow. During the official visit to Cyprus on December 9–13, 1994, the delegation State Duma headed by A. N. Chilingarov, direct contacts were established between the parliamentary group for relations with Cyprus and the friendship group with Russia, formed in the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus.
Russian-Cypriot cultural ties are steadily developing. During a visit to Moscow in July 1994 by the Minister of Education and Culture of Cyprus, an Agreement on Cooperation between the Ministries of Culture of the two countries was signed.
On May 8-11, 1995, the then President of the Republic of Cyprus, G. Clerides, was in Moscow to participate in the celebrations on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Victory, and on July 11-14, 1998, as an honored guest of Moscow Mayor Yu. M. Luzhkov at the opening World Youth Games; he was received by Russian President BN Yeltsin.
In September 1996, the Minister of Culture of Russia visited Cyprus. The Russian Center for Science and Culture operates in Nicosia. Agreements are being implemented between the broadcasting organizations of the two countries and news agencies.
On June 17–20, 1997, a delegation of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus headed by the Chairman of the Parliament, S. Kyprianou, visited Moscow. In September 1997, the mayor of Nicosia, L. Dimitriadis, took part in events dedicated to the 850th anniversary of Moscow; At the same time, the Protocol on Cooperation between the two capitals was signed.
In January and April 1998, Archbishop Sergius of Solnechnogorsk, head of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate, was in Cyprus.
In March 1998, an agreement on cooperation was signed in Moscow between ITAR-TASS and the Cyprus News Agency (KIPE). In May 1998, he was in Cyprus CEO ITAR-TASS V. N. Ignatenko.
In the summer of 1998, three students of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and Seminary had the opportunity to get acquainted with the experience of the Orthodox upbringing of children in a parish summer camp on Fr. Cyprus at the invitation of the rector of one of the largest parishes in Cyprus - the Church of the Annunciation of the Mother of God in Nicosia - Protopresbyter George Antoniou.
The beginning of the third millennium was marked by the strengthening of ties between Russia and Cyprus in the church sphere. In May 2005, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, at a meeting with the President of Cyprus, expressed admiration for the firmness of the Cypriots in upholding Orthodox values. At this meeting, which took place in Moscow, Patriarch Alexy II announced that the President of Cyprus, Tassos Papadopoulos, would be awarded the 2005 Prize for Strengthening the Unity of Orthodox Peoples. “We have always bowed before the courage of the Cypriot people, who, despite the difficulties, have always stood firm in the struggle for their independence,” the Patriarch emphasized. He expressed empathy for the people of Cyprus due to the fact that the island is still divided, and many shrines remained in the occupied territory, many were sold at various auctions in Western countries.
“The pilgrims of our Church, on their way to the Holy Land, for many centuries stopped in Cyprus and worshiped its shrines,” the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church emphasized. In turn, the President of Cyprus expressed interest in strengthening relations between the Orthodox Churches of Russia and Cyprus, noting that these relations "come from the depths of centuries." The T. Papadopoulos Prize was presented in January 2006 in the hall of church cathedrals of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
Saints Cyprian and Justina in Russia
In the summer of 2005, leaving Cyprus for the first time in 700 years, the relics of Saints Cyprian and Justina visited Russia. On August 17, 2005, a reliquary with the relics of the Holy Martyr Cyprian and the Martyr Justina was delivered by air from Cyprus to Moscow. IN international airport Sheremetyevo, the delegation of the Cypriot Orthodox Church, headed by Metropolitan Neophyte of Morphia, was met by Bishop Mark of Yegorievsk, Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, and clerics of the Moscow Diocese.
Answering a question from Russian television, Vladyka Mark stressed the historical significance of bringing the Cypriot shrine to Russia. “For the first time in several centuries,” he said, “Orthodox believers in Russia, in which Saints Cyprian and Justina have been deeply revered since ancient times, will be able to prayerfully venerate their honest relics.”
“After the collapse of the communist ideology, a spiritual vacuum formed: some of our compatriots, cut off from the traditions of Orthodoxy, succumbed to the fascination with magic and the occult. The bringing of the Cypriot shrine to Russia is a very important event for the salvation of people who have fallen into the snares of totalitarian sects and occult forces. We invite all those who have strayed from the true path and are seeking the help and intercession of the Orthodox Church to resort these days to the help of the great saints of God, to whom the Lord Himself has given the power to cast out demons,” said Bishop Mark.
Metropolitan Neophyte, in turn, said that the relics of Saints Cyprian and Justina were brought to Cyprus from Syria in 1298. “As you know, Saint Cyprian, even during his lifetime, had the gift of healing people possessed by demonic forces. The Cypriot temple, in which the holy relics brought from Syria rested, has become one of the most famous places of worship for Christians,” said Bishop Neophyte.
The relics of Saints Cyprian and Justina left Cyprus for the first time in 700 years so that the Orthodox believers of another country could bow to them. “It is very important for us that we received this invitation from the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church - one of the affirmers, pillars of the Orthodox faith in the modern world. It is a great honor for us to accept this proposal,” Metropolitan Neofit emphasized.
Then a motorcade, led by an escort car, solemnly delivered the reliquary with the shrine to the Zachatievsky Stauropegial Convent. At the gates of the monastery, the relics were met by the vicar of the Moscow diocese, Archbishop of Istra Arseniy, the Representative of the Orthodox Church of Alexandria under the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Bishop Athanasius of Kirinsky, a host of clergy of the capital and numerous believers. More than a thousand people prayed for the all-night vigil celebrated by Archbishop Arseniy on the monastery square.
Good afternoon, dear readers and subscribers of the blog!
As you know, I recently visited the wonderful island of Cyprus and have already talked about my vacation there, and as I promised, today I will talk about the Orthodox shrines of Cyprus, which are visited by many pilgrims and share my selection of photos.
From the article you will learn:
Holy places in Cyprus
The island of Cyprus is often advertised as a standard tourist destination - golden beaches, azure seas, clear air smelling of fresh breezes. Meanwhile, it has many Orthodox shrines, which will be interesting to see for any believer. In addition, ancient Orthodox churches have a wonderful atmosphere that brings peace to even the most rebellious soul, they inspire the body and purify the soul. Visiting ancient temples brings real relief to the suffering and even helps to eliminate physical pain. Most tourists are looking for a shrine, which is the center of Orthodoxy on the island of Cyprus, the Kykkos Monastery on Troodos Mountain, and I will tell you about it today.
I went to the island in order to relax, as well as make a kind of pilgrimage and visit as large quantity Orthodox shrines. But when the journey began, the desire to hurry to see everything disappeared by itself. Temples are not museums, it is impossible to get around them in a couple of hours. If only because each has its own atmosphere, which envelops and does not want to let go. I just want to stand, look at the icons and pray for happiness and health and for my family and friends.
The Monastery of the Holy Cross is the main attraction offered by the village of Omodos. I could not take my eyes off the iconostasis, which was painted by Russian masters. The temple also has its own shrine - a particle of the Life-Giving Cross and the Bond of Christ. It is very difficult to describe the shrines - you need to see them and feel the atmosphere that they create. Too bad you can't shoot inside.
In the Cypriot language, it is called Stavrovouni. Founded by Empress Elena, who was a saint and equal to the apostles. A particle of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, left by the queen, is kept in the monastery. The monastery is located on top of one of the highest mountains of the island. Its name is Olympus.
On the site of the current monastery, the pagans erected their temple. It was him that Elena saw when she returned from Palestine with a particle of the Life-Giving Cross. Because of the storm, the ship landed on the shore. On the island, the queen faced drought, pestilence and hordes of poisonous snakes. In a dream, the Angel of the Lord came to the queen, who conveyed to her the command of God. The queen was required to build Orthodox churches and leave a particle of the Life-Giving Cross in one of them. Elena complied with the command and erected temples.
The monastery has gone through a difficult history. The Orthodox monks were expelled by the Benedictines, followed by the Muslims plundering the monastery. They besieged the monastery, as the locals hid behind its walls from the Turkish invaders. Most of them, being Orthodox, accepted death or were taken into slavery.
Today, the monastery has regained its former grandeur and is wholly owned by the Orthodox. From the top of the mountain where it is located, you can see Larnaca and Nicosia.
Omodos village: local scenery
And here is some selection of photos of this picturesque village. In addition to visiting the church, you can walk along the picturesque cozy streets, try local dishes on open terraces.
Many terraces are hospitable for tourists.
Omodos is also famous for good local wines, where everyone can taste and buy local shops for their journey, where you can still find local sweets of Cyprus and famous aphrodisiacs.
There are many shops with local wines. In Cyprus, there are many shops with traditional local sweets.
Created by the Angels
Near Larnaca, in the village of Kiti, you can find an amazing temple. It is called Angeloktisti, which means "created by the Angels." Stored in the altar ancient frescoes, and on an ancient icon, one of the main ones in the temple, Archangel Michael is depicted. The icon is drawn so soulfully that no one can pass it by. The look of the Saint pierces to the depths of the soul, and the pilgrims freeze for a long time near the icon, which seems to be having a silent conversation with each of the visitors about something of their own.
The most revered shrine in Larnaca Church of St. Lazarus
Saint Lazarus, who laid down his life in the service of God on the island of Cyprus, also rested here. His relics are kept in the church of St. Lazarus, the same one whom Christ resurrected. The tomb is located a little lower, in an underground crypt near the holy spring. Until the 9th century, the relics were kept in a marble ark with an inscription confirming the identity of the owner of the ark. This is the most revered shrine in Larnaca and the most impressive ancient building, built right above the relics. The iconostasis for 120 icons was installed much later, in the 18th century. Most of the icons were painted by the Byzantines, but there are also more ancient icons among them. For example, the Most Holy Theotokos, made by Russian icon painters.
A monastery was also built near the temple, which constantly changed its inhabitants due to the occupations - the Franks built a Benedictine monastery in it, after which Armenian Catholics became the owners. At the end of the 16th century, the Turks captured the temple, but they did not own it for long and returned it to the last owners, who were allowed to pray there twice a year. However, when at the end of the 18th century the Roman Catholics laid claim to the ownership of the entire temple, the privilege was abolished.
The main shrine of Cyprus - Kykkos Monastery
Kykkos Monastery is rightfully considered the most visited and famous. This is due to the fact that in the monastery there is an icon of St. Luke, which, according to legend, he wrote himself and its name is Kykkotis. The story associated with it says that the ascetic Isaiah once lived in these places. Once, a lost nobleman beat a hermit, but when he returned home, he fell seriously ill. Realizing his guilt, he went back and apologized to the hermit. He forgave, but said that the nobleman needed to bring from the emperor Komnenos a miraculous icon, which depicts the Mother of God.
However, the emperor did not want to give the icon away and ordered to make a copy of it in order to send it to Cyprus. But then the daughter of the emperor fell ill, and he realized that the miraculous icon, at the request of the Mother of God herself, should be taken to Cyprus. The emperor gave the icon, but took the promise that the face of the Mother of God would always be covered. When the icon was taken to the mountains, the trees bowed to it - this is how the legend says. At first, the icon was installed in a chapel on the top of a mountain, but soon a monastery was built for it, where it was transferred. The Kikk monastery is the richest; Russian tsars also sent gifts to it.
Since the icon is closed except for the hands, we managed to touch the hands of the Mother of God and light a candle. It is not allowed to take pictures in the temple, and I managed to take pictures only on the street of the territory of the monastery.
Kykkotis
We were surprised that women do not need to cover their heads, but since my friend and I were in shorts, we were given blue robes, like everyone else who does not have the “outfit”.
On the territory of the Kykkos Monastery in Cyprus Me and my friend Sasha, we were also dressed in blue robes
The territory of the Kykkos monastery is large, here you can walk and admire the ancient frescoes and icons, and you can also notice the boats hanging from the ceilings, these boats remind that Kykkotis also helped from shipwrecks.
Corridors of Kykkos with ancient frescoes, and at the top are the very boats.
In the Monastery of the Mother of God there is an icon on which the Mother of God smiles. Parents who have no children come here. There is a room in the monastery where photographs of children are kept, which are brought by parents to thank the Mother of God for her participation.
Troodos mountains and their Orthodox riches
There are many monasteries in the mountains, the history of each is unique. And the mountains themselves deserve to be seen - there is stunningly beautiful nature here, and the height of the mountains is simply dizzying.
In addition to the shrines described above, you can also visit the Church of Saints Barnabas and Hilarion in Peresterone near Nicosia, the Church of Panagia Araka in the village of Lagoudera, the Church of Panagia Farvirotissa in Asinou, as well as the famous Monastery of Trooditissa, which is located between the village of Prodromos and Platres, built in 1250 and the most famous shrine of the Monastery is the Holy Belt, which helps women from infertility.
It is impossible to see everything in one trip. Therefore, I plan to visit Orthodox Cyprus more than once and wish everyone to visit here at least once and pray in one of the ancient Orthodox churches.
Video: Holy places in Cyprus and how to get there - tips for tourists
,Cyprus has a rich historical past, including Christianity. Scientists have established that Christianity came to the island more than two thousand years ago. During this time, religion underwent different times, there were persecutions of Christians, temples and monasteries were destroyed. Many valuable relics were lost, but some survived. Cyprus is considered a cluster of holy places, because famous preachers lived here and many Christian values \u200b\u200bare kept here. Pilgrims from all over the world go to Cyprus to bow to the shrines. And it will be interesting for other tourists to look at temples, monasteries, religious monuments and relics.
What to visit in Nicosia?
The holy places of Cyprus are also located in the capital of the Republic of Cyprus - Nicosia. There are many relics significant for Christians. This place has a difficult history, however, like the whole of Cyprus. The Ottomans who occupied this territory destroyed many temples, and some were converted into mosques. But there are also surviving buildings. Tourists should visit:
- Church of Our Lady of Faneromeni,
- Church of Our Lady of the Golden Flax,
Church of Saint Sava
- Church of Saint Sava,
- Church of the Archangel Michael Tripiotis.
Of greatest interest is the Church of Our Lady of Faneromeni. This is just one of the temples that the Ottomans wanted to turn into a mosque. But the imams appointed there died for some reason, and the church was decided to remain Christian. And also, as a sign of reconciliation, the Ottomans donated a lot of silver to the temple. The main value of the church was the Faneromeni icon, dating back to the 14th century.
Holy places of Larnaca
The main shrine for Christians here is the Church of St. Lazarus. Probably, even tourists far from religion know the history of this saint. He was resurrected by Jesus Christ and until his death (the second) preached. On the site where this temple now stands, a tomb with the relics of Lazarus was found. And it was done almost by accident. But be that as it may, the grateful followers of the saint erected a church in his honor.
Stavrovouni Monastery is also popular. This is a male monastery, and the passage of women to its territory is prohibited. Tourists can only enter the church located at the gates of the monastery. And men can walk around the territory and get a little acquainted with the life of the monks.
There are also in Larnaca and its environs:
- Church of the Angeloktisti,
- Monastery of the Holy Great Martyr Mina,
- Church of Panagia Faneromeni.
What to visit in Paphos?
Paphos is a beautiful and ancient city, closely associated with the emergence and development of Christianity. The main interest for tourists and pilgrims is here:
- Church of Panagia Chrysopolitissa,
- Monastery of Saint Neophyte,
- Church of St. George.
All the shrines of Cyprus, located in Paphos, deserve a thoughtful visit. And this list is far from complete, there are a lot of holy places in Paphos and its environs.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the Church of St. George. This saint (he is also called George the Victorious) is especially revered in different countries, including Cyprus. The temple named after him is quite small, there is not even a permanent abbot there. But tourists come here by the thousands. Services are held in the church even in Russian (when exactly - you need to specify on the spot).
Limassol - holy places
Orthodox Cyprus is unthinkable without visiting the monastery of St. Nicholas. It is familiar to many tourists under the name of the Cat's Monastery. Indeed, on its territory you can meet dozens of fluffy pets. A long time ago, they were brought to the island to fight snakes, and they took root. The monastery of St. Nicholas has an interesting history. Take, for example, the fact that at first it was male, and then became the habitat of female novices. It is believed that in the monastery, visitors need to ask for good husband, and already married - about a successful pregnancy.
What else to visit in Limassol:
Ayia Napa Cathedral in Cyprus.
- Ayia Napa Cathedral,
- Monastery of the Holy Cross (in the village of Omodos).
Troodos Mountains and Kykkos Monastery
You can take a hiking trip to the Troodos mountains and see picturesque quiet villages. In winter you can ride skiing or snowboarding.
Separately, it is worth mentioning this attraction. You can get to the Troodos mountain range from Paphos or Nicosia. This is a popular excursion that local guides offer tourists without fail. By the way, there are many more interesting things in the Troodos mountains: picturesque villages, beautiful landscapes, sights. So the tour will be interesting. But a special place for believers, of course, will be the Kykksky monastery.
There are a lot of attractions in Cyprus and Orthodox places. But suddenly you find yourself in Paphos, then you need to see.
Many consider the icon of the Kykk Mother of God to be the main icon of Cyprus. According to legend, she performed many miracles, for example, in the 18th century she saved the Cypriots from starvation, saving them from the invasion of locusts. An interesting fact: the image of the Mother of God on the icon is hidden under a silver setting, it is never opened. This gives rise to many rumors, but believers are firmly convinced that she is able to work miracles even now.
You can talk about the holy places of Cyprus for a long time. But it is best to get to know them personally by visiting this hospitable island with a long history.
Holy places of Orthodox Cyprus, photoCyprus has a rich historical past, including Christianity. Scientists have established that Christianity came to the island more than two thousand years ago. During this time, religion underwent different times, there were persecutions of Christians, temples and monasteries were destroyed. Many valuable relics were lost, but some survived. Cyprus is considered a cluster of holy places, because famous preachers lived here and many Christian values \u200b\u200bare kept here. Pilgrims from all over the world go to Cyprus to bow to the shrines. And it will be interesting for other tourists to look at temples, monasteries, religious monuments and relics. What to visit in Nicosia? The holy places of Cyprus are also located in the capital of the Republic of Cyprus - Nicosia. There are many significant...
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Holy places of Cyprus
Cyprus not only picturesque island in the heart of the Mediterranean, a paradise for lovers, a bright gift for lovers of pure nature, a hospitable corner where every traveler, tired in the hustle and bustle of weekdays, finds long-awaited peace. Cyprus is also the cradle of Christianity. The Island of the Saints, the land of which was one of the first in the pagan world to receive the message of Christ.
In Cyprus, the Church plays a vital role in the spiritual, cultural and economic life. The Cypriot Church fought for centuries to preserve Orthodoxy, which tempered and strengthened it. This brought up and shaped the Cypriot people as a nation. It is Orthodoxy that determines the main features of the Cypriot mentality, kindness, openness, non-conflict, law-abiding.
The island is located just 100 kilometers from the Holy Land. The Good News came to Cyprus during the life of the Savior.
In 45 AD Apostle Paul, during his first missionary journey, converted the pagan, the Roman governor in Cyprus, Sergius Paul, to the Christian faith. Subsequently, this event played an important role in the history of Christianity. From that moment on, the first state appeared in Cyprus, which was ruled by a Christian.
During their journey, the Apostle Paul and the Apostle Barnabas met Saint Lazarus, a friend of Christ. Christ resurrected Lazarus on the fourth day after his death. Opponents of the teachings of the Savior decided to destroy Lazarus, because his resurrection, which was witnessed by many people, became evidence of the Divine power of Christ. But the attackers did not dare to kill him, they put Saint Lazarus in a boat without oars and sent him to the open sea, hoping for his quick death. But Divine Providence did not allow him to die, his boat with the unharmed saint moored to the shores of Cyprus. The Apostles Paul and Barnabas ordained him Bishop of Kition (modern Larnaca). There is a belief that the Mother of God visited St. Lazarus in Cyprus, returning from Athos.
History has brought us the names of saints closely associated with Cyprus. These are Constantine the Great and Saint Helena, Saint Spyridon of Trimifutsky, Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus, Saint Neophyte the Recluse and many others.
During the time of iconoclasm, Cyprus turned out to be aloof from these tragic events for Christianity. Saving from destruction, the icons were secretly brought to Cyprus and hidden in secluded places. So the miraculous icons of the Mother of God Machairas, Chrysoroyatissa, the Mother of God of Ayia Napa and others came to the island.
Orthodoxy in Cyprus experienced periods of prosperity and oppression. The Arab invasions of the 7th-10th centuries, 400 years of the Latin yoke, the reign of the Ottoman Empire and the English protectorate did not break the spirit of the Orthodox Cypriots, but only strengthened their faith.
The Cypriot Church is autocephalous (independent). It consists of nine dioceses: Paphos, Kitia, Kerinia, Limassol, Morph, Kykksko-Tillirian, Konstantia, Tamassos, Trimifuntska.
Today, the relationship between the Cypriot Church and the state adheres to the relationship of a symphony of authorities. The state and the Church have spheres of government autonomous from each other. But in the most important national affairs, important for the spiritual and moral health of the people, the Church is obliged to indicate the correct path of this or that political decision, for the benefit of the entire Orthodox people.
Today, the Cypriot Orthodox Church has about 450,000 believers, 700 clergy, 570 parishes and 30 monasteries.
Soon, for ten centuries now, Russian pilgrims have been discovering the grandeur of the Cypriot monasteries and churches, feeling the spiritual closeness of our peoples, who, despite all hardships, have kept their faith alive.
One can talk endlessly about Orthodoxy in Cyprus, but even the most picturesque story cannot replace a personal pilgrimage to the Shrines of the blessed island. We can offer you to go on excursions to the most significant Christian places, tell in more detail about historical events and the miraculous effects of ancient relics.
Cyprus is sometimes called the "island of the saints", since it is consecrated by the deeds of many saints of God. Christianity in Cyprus was preached by the Holy Apostles Paul, Barnabas and Mark. But even before the arrival of the apostles in Cyprus, there were individual Christians. According to the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, the holy apostles Paul and Barnabas traveled all over Cyprus from Salamis to Paphos. The bishop in Cyprus was Saint Lazarus the Four Days, resurrected by the Lord Jesus Christ. St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky was born in Cyprus, as well as St. John the Merciful. On the third Ecumenical Council The autocephaly of the Cypriot Church was approved. Greek Cypriots are very pious people. There are many temples here, which are filled with worshipers on Sundays and holidays. Lots of monasteries. There can be several temples in one small village. One of the most revered saints in Cyprus is the Holy Great Martyr Hero the Victorious. Righteous Lazarus the Four Days, Martyr Mamant, Great Martyr Charalambius, Martyrs Timothy and Maura are greatly revered here.
In 1974, the northern part of the island was occupied by Turkish troops. Many temples were defiled and destroyed, some of them turned into mosques and entertainment centers. Church property was looted. Many Christians were martyred at the hands of the Turkish occupiers.
Larnaca. Temple of Saint Lazarus.
Cyprus. Larnaca. Temple of the Righteous Lazarus
One of the main shrines of Orthodox Cyprus is the temple of the holy righteous Lazarus of the Four Days, Bishop of Kita. Kition, Kity - the ancient name of Larnaca. Actually, "larnak" - means, translated from Greek, "sarcophagus". The relics of the saint rest in this temple, and in the underground crypt there is a tomb in which the righteous Lazarus was once buried. In the same place, in the crypt, there is also a holy spring. The relics of the righteous Lazarus were found in the 9th century here, in the city of Kition, where they lay in the ground in a marble ark, on which was written: "Lazarus of four days, friend of God." At the same time, a temple was built over the relics in an old rare architectural style. And the iconostasis that we see now dates back to the 18th century. It is made with amazing craftsmanship and is one of the best examples of woodcarving in Cyprus. The iconostasis contains 120 icons, mostly of the 18th century, of Byzantine writing. There are also old icons. And a Russian pilgrim will immediately notice a large icon of the Most Holy Theotokos by Russian icon painters.
The fate of this temple was reflected in the numerous ups and downs of the history of Cyprus. Once upon a time there was a monastery at the church of St. Lazarus. During the Frankish occupation of the island, the Franks turned the temple into a Benedictine monastery, and for some time it was owned by Armenian Roman Catholics. When in 1570 Cyprus was captured by the Turks, they captured the temple. In 1589, the church of St. Lazarus was returned to the Orthodox. And Roman Catholics were allowed to serve there twice a year in a small chapel that adjoined the altar from the north. This privilege was abolished in 1794 because Catholics began to claim ownership of the entire temple. Until now, some traces of the former Catholic presence can be seen in the temple.
Under the Byzantine emperor Leo the Wise, part of the relics of St. Lazarus was transferred to Constantinople, and the honest head of the saint remained in Cyprus. However, that part of the relics that was transferred to Constantinople was subsequently stolen by the crusaders and taken to the West.
The holy righteous Lazarus lived with sisters Mary and Martha not far from Jerusalem, in the village of Bethany. The Lord Himself calls St. Lazarus His friend: "Lazarus, our friend, succeed ...", the Savior says to the disciples.1 The Gospel tells us that our Lord Jesus Christ loved the righteous Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha very much. When Lazarus fell ill, his sisters sent him to tell the Savior about it, to which the Lord replied that this illness was not for death, but for the glory of God to appear. Soon Lazarus died, and four days had already passed since the day of his death, when the Lord came. Approaching the cave in which the deceased was buried, Christ called out to him: "Lazarus, come out!" And Lazarus resurrected, and went out of the cave, and crawled into a very narrow hole, tied hand and foot with funeral sheets. The resurrection of Lazarus is commemorated by the Church on Saturday of the 6th week of Great Lent, which for this reason is called Lazarus Saturday. This miracle most clearly testified to the Divine Omnipotence of the Lord Jesus Christ, to His dominion over human life and death, and also served to assure people of the truth of the resurrection of the dead and was a type of the resurrection of the Lord Himself. Many then, seeing the resurrected Lazarus, believed in the Lord. And the Holy Church calls St. Lazarus of the Four Days, reminding us of this miracle - the resurrection by the Savior of the four-day dead man.
The jealous Jewish leaders wanted to kill Saint Lazarus, and he was forced to leave for the island of Cyprus, where he was ordained a bishop. After his resurrection, he lived for another 30 years, working hard to spread Christianity in Cyprus. And here he died peacefully. According to legend, Saint Lazarus, being a bishop (he was ordained by the Apostles Paul and Barnabas), was honored with a visit from the Mother of God and received from Her an omophorion made by Her Most Pure Hands. 2
Holy Righteous Lazarus of Four Days is commemorated by the Holy Church on October 17 (30) and also on Saturday of the 6th week of Great Lent.
Near the church of St. Lazarus there is a small museum, the exposition of which presents ancient icons, vestments, church utensils. And every time you visit this museum, you discover something new for the soul, peering into the ancient icon-painting images. Here ancient icon St. Lazarus... And here is a very interesting icon depicting Martyr Tryphon with a sickle (19th century)... But he stopped at the icon of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (17th century) and amazes the sight of the Savior... The old icon of the Nativity of Christ attracts attention . The Mother of God is turned to the Divine Infant, and Her gaze is full of infinite love and sorrow. And it is even surprising how the icon painter could convey this so deeply...
Monastery of Stavrovyni (Holy Cross)
Cyprus. Stavrovouni monastery 
On the top high mountain, away from the bustle of the world is the ancient monastery of Stavrovoni, which in Greek means: the monastery of the Holy Cross ("Stavros" - the Cross, "vouno" - the mountain). This monastery was founded by the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helena. The main shrine of the monastery is a particle of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, which St. Helena left in the monastery.
Previously, this mountain was called Olympus, and on its top there was a pagan temple. According to ancient legend, the ship of the Holy Empress Helen, who was carrying a part of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord she had acquired, was forced to land off the coast of Cyprus on the way from Palestine to Constantinople, fleeing a storm. At that time, there was a terrible drought on the island, divorced everywhere Poisonous snakes, the pestilence raged. An angel of the Lord appeared to Saint Elena and announced to her the command of God: to erect Christian churches in Cyprus and leave here a particle of the Life-Giving Cross. Obeying the will of God, Saint Helena founded several churches in Cyprus. The Holy Cross was miraculously transferred to the top of Mount Olympus (now Stavrovouni), thus indicating the place where the temple in honor of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord was to be built. Then the pagan temple located here was destroyed and a Christian temple was erected, in which Queen Elena left a particle of the Holy Cross, a part of the cross of the repentant robber and a Nail from the Crucifixion.
There is no exact information about when the monastery arose here. The first mention of it refers to the XI - XII centuries. Initially, the monastery was very small. During the Latin rule (1192 - 1571) the Orthodox monks were expelled from the monastery and until 1471 the monastery was in the possession of the Benedictines. In 1426, the monastery was sacked by Muslims during one of the Egyptian invasions. And in the summer of 1570, the Ottoman Turks invaded Cyprus. The conquerors destroyed the monastery of the Holy Cross, and most of the inhabitants and laity, who took refuge in the walls of the monastery, were martyred or were taken into captivity. However, after some time, the Cypriots managed to obtain permission from the Turkish authorities to buy out the captured monasteries. Then the monastic life in the monastery of Stavrovouni revived. British colonial rule (1878 - 1960) brought new challenges until finally the Republic of Cyprus gained independence in 1960.
We climb the picturesque mountain slopes. Now this car will take you to the holy gates of the monastery very quickly. A convenient road, a comfortable car... And earlier it was not easy to get to the Stavrovouni Monastery - you had to climb high, high along mountain paths. This path was long and difficult. The monastery is distinguished by the severity of the charter; women are forbidden to enter it. For their consolation, a chapel in honor of All Cypriot Saints was built at the gates of the monastery. In the chapel you can venerate the Holy Cross. Although that particle of the Life-Giving Cross that was brought here by the holy Empress Elena is located in the monastery itself. Also in the chapel you can pray at the icons of the Apostle Barnabas and St. Spyridon, who were originally from Cyprus. Until 1983, the monastery had no electricity, no telephone, no running water. The inhabitants were provided with water only with the help of cisterns for collecting rainwater.
From the top of the mountain, the views of extraordinary beauty open up. On the one hand - a view of Larnaca, on the other - to Nicosia (the current capital of Cyprus).
Kitu village. Temple of the Angeloktisti.
Near Larnaca, in the small village of Kiti, there is a temple called Angeloktisti, that is, "Created by Angels." Unique ancient frescoes have been preserved in the altar of this temple. And also the pious pilgrim will stop for a long time at the miraculous image of the holy Archangel Michael. From this beautiful icon, the Holy Archangel Michael looks at you, and his gaze penetrates the soul, and it is already difficult to move away, clinging with prayer to the Heavenly intercessor.
Troodos mountains. Kikk Monastery.
Cyprus. Kykk Monastery 
This is perhaps the most famous and crowded with pilgrims and tourists monastery in Cyprus. It was founded for the sake of the miraculous Kikk Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. According to legend, this is one of the icons painted by the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke.
The history of this image is as follows. Once upon a time, the pious ascetic Isaiah labored in these places in prayerful solitude. Once one of the nobles, hunting in the mountains, got lost and stumbled upon a hermit's cell. Roughly trying to figure out the way, he even beat the old man. As punishment, the nobleman fell seriously ill. Understanding the punishment of God, he returned to the monk Isaiah to ask for forgiveness. The ascetic forgave the nobleman, but ordered him to go to Constantinople to the emperor Alexei Comnenus and bring to Cyprus the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, which was kept by him. Having said that such is the will of the Queen of Heaven Herself. But the Emperor did not want to part with the miraculous image. And he ordered to write an exact copy of the icon, deciding to send it to Cyprus. Then the daughter of the Emperor fell seriously ill. And he understood that the Most Holy Theotokos wanted Her miraculous image to stay in Cyprus. He agreed to give the icon, but with one condition - that the Face of the Mother of God on the icon should always remain closed, so that the worshipers would have greater reverence. To this day, the icon is almost completely covered with a special velvet cover, only the lower part of the icon is open. Tradition tells us that when this miraculous image was being taken to the mountains, the trees along the edges of the road tilted their crowns and branches, paying honor to the Most Holy Lady Theotokos depicted on the holy icon. The image was placed in a chapel on the top of the mountain, and later a monastery was founded nearby, where the icon was transferred.
The Kykkos monastery is one of the richest in Cyprus. The church is very richly decorated. Russian Tsars also brought many gifts here. The beautiful mosaics located on the galleries inside the monastery courtyard attract attention. Among them are mosaic icons, as well as scenes from the Biblical history of the Old and New Testaments.
Holy Mother of God, save us!
Troodos mountains. Monastery of Our Lady of Trooditissa.
A small monastery among the picturesque Troodos mountains. The miraculous icon of the Mother of God Trooditissa is one of the few on which the Queen of Heaven is depicted with a slight smile on her lips. For much more often Her face is mournful. This image became famous for many miracles that are happening to this day. There are especially many wonderful cases of helping parents who cannot have children. How often people come here to thank the Mother of God for her help, bringing photographs of children given by the Mother of God herself, or even coming with them.
Troodos mountains. Monastery of Our Lady of Trikukka.
A small convent with very hospitable sisters. You will definitely be treated to tea, bread and delicious jam, which the sisters prepare themselves here.
The miraculous image of the Mother of God resides in the monastery. In front of this icon, they especially pray with a request to prevent natural disasters, to protect from them. They also ask for help in infertility. I wanted to pray at this icon for our long-suffering Russia, so that the Queen of Heaven would protect her from all natural disasters: occurring not only from natural phenomena, but also from people. From all discord, civil strife, terrorist attacks, provocations...
It is noteworthy that St. Seraphim of Sarov is greatly revered in this monastery. In the temple you can see his icon. And among there are sisters - the nun Seraphim, named in honor of the reverend. And the sisters are very happy when Russian pilgrims give them shrines brought from Diveevo.
Troodos mountains. Church of the Holy Martyr Maura.
This small temple in honor of Saint Maura, nestled in a picturesque place among the mountains, adjacent to one of them. There is a holy spring with very tasty water. Your attention will also be attracted by a huge plane tree, which is about a thousand years old, if not more. In vain were attempts to photograph him. He is so huge that, no matter how hard you try, he does not fit into the frame.
Omodos village. Monastery of the Holy Cross.
In the small mountain village of Omodos, there is an ancient monastery of the Holy Cross. Now it does not function as a monastery. You can pray in the Church of the Holy Cross and visit the museum, located in the former monastery cells. In the temple, the eye of a Russian pilgrim is immediately attracted by the iconostasis, painted by Russian masters. After Greek icon painting, which is unusual for the Russian look, the native style for us is very pleasing.
The main shrine of the temple is the Bonds of Christ and a particle of the Holy Life-Giving Cross, which are kept in a beautiful Cross in the iconostasis. There are also many relics in the temple. Among them are the holy head of the holy Apostle Philip, as well as particles of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Great Martyr Barbara, the Great Martyr Marina, the Hieromartyr Charalambius, the Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon, the Holy Martyr Tryphon and others.
The village of Omodos is also famous for its lace, which is woven by women with needles. Tourists are offered very beautiful handmade lace napkins, tablecloths, shawls. And also Omodos is one of the centers for the production of the famous Cypriot wine "commandaria".
Limassol. Monastery of St. Nicholas (Cat).
This small convent dedicated to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is located on the outskirts of Limassol. According to legend, once upon a time a huge number of snakes bred in Cyprus. The Holy Empress Elena, having learned about the disaster, equipped a whole ship with cats here. The cats quickly dealt with the snakes. Tradition says that it was from this monastery that cats were transported around the island. Therefore, the name "cat's" was assigned to the monastery. Now there are only 4 nuns in the monastery. It's incredible how they manage their household: they take care of a wonderful picturesque garden and all the same cats, which are still very numerous here.
There is a very ancient small temple in the monastery. Entering under its vaults, you feel an amazing prayerful atmosphere, peace and quiet.
A small square at the entrance of the monastery. In the center is a well built in the 6th century. And on the stones with which this square is paved there are prints of cat's paws. Apparently, the stone melted from the heat, and the cats left their autograph...
Limassol. Miraculous icon of the Holy Great Martyr Marina.
In the small church of the Holy Great Martyr Marina, located not far from the city embankment, there is a miraculous icon of the saint. The image was miraculously found on a tree that grows at the entrance to the temple.
Paphos. 
Fragment of the column where the Apostle Paul was scourged
Paphos is a very ancient city, founded in the 13th century BC. He is mentioned in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, where he is called Páf. The holy apostles Paul and Barnabas preached here. Now there are 61 temples and 41 monasteries in Paphos (although not all monasteries are active).
Here the apostle Paul talked with the sorcerer Variesus (this is described in the 13th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles). There is also a fragment of the column (its top is missing) near which the Apostle Paul was scourged.
Preserved in Paphos are the ancient catacombs in which the first Christians prayed, hiding from persecution. Pilgrims can visit the catacomb temple in honor of St. Solomon (mother of the Maccabean martyrs). There is also a holy spring.
In the vicinity of Paphos, in the village of Yeroskipou, a ancient temple Saint Paraskeva, 11th century. Here you can see ancient frescoes of the 13th-15th centuries and pray in front of the miraculous icon of St. Paraskeva.
Paphos. Monastery of the Monk Neophut.
Cyprus. Monastery of St. Neophyte 
In the vicinity of Paphos is the monastery of St. Neophyte (about 10 km northwest of the city). In the 12th-13th centuries, this reverend father. In a cave on a rock there is his cell and a cave temple.
Saint Neophyte was born in 1134 into a poor peasant family. From childhood, he aspired to devote his whole life to the Lord. When he turned 18, his parents wanted to marry him. But the young man secretly left home and entered the monastery. His first obedience was to take care of the vineyards. He really wanted to study (he was illiterate). On his own, he mastered some of the principles of education and even memorized the entire Psalter. Then the abbot gave him the obedience of assistant sacristan. Several times the saint asked permission to lead the life of a hermit. But the abbot did not bless him because of too young age. Subsequently, the Lord fulfilled the desire of the ascetic. Saint Neophyte made himself a small cell and a church in the cave. Over time, other monks began to labor near the saint. A small skete was formed. Seeking solitude, the saint dug himself another small cell high up in the rock. The exact date of the saint's death is unknown. There is a manuscript of 1241, dictated by Saint Neophyte. Therefore, he died after 1214. In the 16th century, a monastery arose next to the cave monastery. Saint Neophyte was a very fruitful spiritual writer. Now the monastery has begun to publish the works of the monk.
Now pilgrims can visit the cave cell and temple, and in the nearby monastery they can venerate the relics of St. Neophyte. The monastery also has a museum, consisting of two sections, one of which stores ancient icons, vestments, church utensils. Another branch - not a church one, in which archaeological finds 900-600 AD BC In the cave temple, until the recent restoration, a terrible memory of the recent war with the Turks, who wanted to capture Cyprus, was preserved. The Turks destroyed temples, killed Christians, and blasphemed sacred things. In this cave temple, one could previously see how the eyes of the saints were gouged out on the frescoes - this is how Turkish soldiers abused the holy images.
Symbol. Miraculous icon of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious.
Cyprus. Monastery of the Great Martyr George in Simvul 
The Holy Great Martyr George is greatly revered in Cyprus. The town of Simvula is located in the vicinity of Limassol. Not far from here, the icon of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious was once miraculously found. Previously, there was a monastery on this site, from which only ruins remained. The place was abandoned and forgotten.
But in 1992, the Holy Great Martyr George himself pointed to him, appearing in sleepy vision to one pious woman who was very seriously ill. The saint appeared to her and her husband, indicating that it was necessary to restore the temple, where and what to do. When the couple found this place, they found there the miraculous icon of the Great Martyr George. Somewhat later, when the restoration of the temple began, the relics of unknown saints were found, emitting a fragrance. The woman was completely healed. Subsequently, the couple became monks.
The miraculous image is now in a small church dedicated to the Great Martyr George. And from her, to this day, grace-filled help flows, many healings, with faith and love praying before her to the holy great martyr.
Not so long ago, the revival of the monastery also began with the brethren from the monastery of Machairas.
Relics of Hieromartyr Cyprian and Martyr Justina.
In Cyprus, in the village of Meniko, there is a temple of the Hieromartyr Cyprian and the Martyr Justina, where their holy relics rest. Another part of their relics is in Greece. Near the temple there is a holy spring, the water of which is healing and has a very peculiar taste, so that it can be immediately distinguished. The reliquary with the relics is in the altar. The priest takes it out for pilgrims and usually reads a special prayer over a person, covering his head with an epitrachelion. If there are many people, then a common prayer is read, after which the priest distributes cotton wool with consecrated oil to the pilgrims, anointing everyone.
The miraculous icon of the Hieromartyr Cyprian is venerated in the temple, as well as the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, called "Mother of the Children". Previously, this image was in the temple dedicated to him. The name of the icon is associated with a legend according to which the Mother of God miraculously nourished two missing young princes. Before this icon, they usually pray for children. Her celebration takes place on Thursday of Bright Week.
The Hieromartyr Cyprian and the Holy Martyr Justina suffered in Nicomedia in the year 304. The honest relics of the saints were taken by Christians and transported to Rome. Later, part of the relics was transferred to Syrian Antioch - to the homeland of the Holy Martyr Cyprian and the Martyr Justina. However, in the XIII century, fleeing from the Muslim invasion, Christian refugees took with them the honest relics of the saints and transported them to Cyprus. So this shrine ended up in the village of Meniko.
In our time of confusion of spiritual concepts, one must be very careful. “Let us resort to the saint with humility, sorrow and love,” says Metropolitan Morpho Neophyte. He also says that Saint Cyprian undoubtedly has power against evil spirits. But only the priest can read the corresponding prayers. And a person resorting to the help of St. Cyprian must necessarily first confess and regularly participate in the Sacraments of the Church. " Modern man, - writes the archpastor, - with all his might, he instills egoism and cherishes his own Self. This path, however, is not Christ's, because Christ tells us that the Resurrection is preceded by the Cross. Therefore, pay attention: you should not seek the fulfillment of your desires, but life according to the will of God. So, when we want something and can’t do it, we don’t have to run to sorcerers and sorcerers who promise to make our dreams come true, but we should pray with humility: “Lord, Jesus Christ, manifest Your will in my life.” Christ knows best what suits us and what we need. Those who put their will above the will of God seek to fulfill their desires by magical ways - paths that are exceptionally dark and impassable."
The Cypriot Church lives according to the new calendar style. But sometimes the Russian parish is allowed to serve the Divine Liturgy at the relics of Hieromartyr Cyprian and Martyr Justina on the day of their remembrance according to the church julian calendar(October 2/15).
Nicosia
Nicosia is the capital of Cyprus. Unfortunately, now it is divided by a wall - part of Cyprus and part of its capital remains occupied by the Turks, who captured the north of the island in 1974.
There are many temples in Nicosia with revered icons and relics of saints. In one of the temples are the relics of the holy martyrs Timothy and Maura, who are very revered in Cyprus. Almost every temple has their icon.
Nicosia. Monument to Archbishop Makarius 
At the Archdiocese of Cyprus, it is as if Archbishop Makarius himself meets you - a wonderful monument to the saint so beloved by the Cypriots. The future Archbishop Makarius, in the world Michael, was born into a poor family. When the boy was 13 years old, his parents sent him to the Kikk monastery. Noticing the natural abilities and talents of the youth, the monastery authorities sent him to Greece to study theology. In 1952 he became Archbishop. And when Cyprus gained its long-awaited independence in 1960, Bishop Makarius was unanimously elected as the country's first president. And three times this outstanding person was elected to the post of head of state. For 17 years he was the president of Cyprus. Archbishop Makarius died on August 3, 1977. In the mountains, just above the Kykksky monastery, there is the grave of Archbishop Makarius, who always has a guard of honor.
In the archdiocese there is a temple of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian. As well as a wonderful museum of Byzantine iconography, where you can find many old icons. Moreover, there are very rare images, hardly found anywhere else.
Monastery of Saint Thekla.
There is a monastery in Cyprus dedicated to Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Thekla, a disciple of Saint Paul the Apostle. In this monastery, a casket with the relics of the saint and her miraculous image are kept. And also there is a wonderful source of water and a source of miraculous clay. This clay is amazingly healing skin diseases if you anoint sore spots with it. Moreover, no matter how much clay pilgrims take, the source does not dry out. Sometimes there is more clay in it, almost at the very surface, sometimes less, you have to climb deep. But clay is always there. The author of these lines herself experienced its healing properties, having been honored with the help of St. Thekla. I was on holiday in Cyprus. And all of a sudden, my toe started hurting. And there were no medical supplies with me on the trip to treat the abscess. It got worse - the finger ached for real! And then I remembered that I had recently been to St. Thekla and brought clay. In the evening she anointed her abscess. And the next morning - and his trace caught a cold, as if it had never happened! Glory to the Lord, marvelous in His saints!
Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Theklo, pray to God for us!
Monastery of Saint Herakleid. 
This is the largest convent in Cyprus. Saint Herakleidios was baptized by the holy Apostles Barnabas and Paul. And then he was ordained a bishop. Here, in the monastery, are his holy relics. As well as the miraculous icon of the Mother of God the Milk-Giver. Saint Herakleidios is especially prayed for the healing of diseases of the spine. Here, in the monastery, his tomb is preserved, in which a rug is specially laid, but with faith and prayer, the afflicted lie down. And they do not remain without the grace-filled help of the holy saint of God.
Cyprus. Monastery of Machairas 
Monastery of Maheras.
Maheras Monastery is located in the mountains. It was founded at the beginning of the 13th century. The main shrine of the monastery is the miraculous icon of the Mother of God Maheratissa, from which many miracles and healings flow to this day. Literally, this name translates as "Knife". But, perhaps, it would be possible to call her "Grieving". "Knife" she is named, apparently, according to the words of the righteous Simeon, which he addressed to the Mother of God: "Your own soul will go through a weapon." This icon was acquired by two monks - Nile and Neophyte in the era of iconoclasm. Then a monastery was founded on this place. There are 6 temples in the monastery. The main cathedral is dedicated to the Assumption of the Mother of God.
Northern Cyprus. Famagusta.
Before the Turkish occupation, it was the most luxurious resort in Cyprus. Kilometers of golden beaches, luxurious hotels, crystal clear azure water. In this city there were 365 temples - according to the number of days in a year. So that every day of the year one of the temples celebrates the patronal feast. The Turks who captured northern Cyprus desecrated the shrines and destroyed the temples. Their ruins can be seen here and there ... The beach area is inaccessible to anyone, it is fenced with barbed wire and guarded by UN troops.
Northern Cyprus. Holy Apostle Barnabas.
Cyprus. Tomb of the Apostle Barnabas 
The Apostle Barnabas (one of the 70 Apostles) was originally from Cyprus and is the founder of the Cypriot Autocephalous Church. He preached a lot here and was martyred in ancient city Salamis. Now, not far from Famagusta, the ruins of this city are shown. The Holy Apostle Mark found the body of Saint Barnabas and buried him in a cave, placing on his chest the Gospel of Matthew, with which the Apostle Barnabas did not part during his lifetime and bequeathed to bury himself with this Gospel.
After the murder of Saint Barnabas in the city of Salamis, a great persecution of Christians arose, so everyone fled and the burial place of the Apostle Barnabas was forgotten. But many years later, the Lord was pleased to glorify the place where the holy relics of the Apostle Barnabas rested. Many miracles and healings began to happen here. So they began to call this place "The Place of Health". But no one knew why these miracles happen. It so happened that a certain heretic Peter, nicknamed Knafei, by cunning seized the patriarchal throne of the Church of Antioch. And he decided to subject the Cypriot Church to his wickedness, declaring that it should obey the Church of Antioch. The pious Archbishop Anfim of Cyprus mourned a lot and prayed with tears, not knowing how to avert this danger. And so, in a vision, the Apostle Barnabas appeared to him in a bright sacred robe, illuminated by heavenly rays. And he promised the Archbishop help. This phenomenon was repeated three times. In order to convince Anthimus of the truth of the vision, the holy Apostle pointed out to the Archbishop that in the very place where such wonderful miracles occur and which is popularly called the "Place of Health", the relics of the Apostle and holy gospel. And he ordered to tell the opponents that the Church of Cyprus is the apostolic throne, because it has the relics of the holy Apostle, resting in Cyprus. Many miracles happened during the acquisition of the holy relics of the Apostle Barnabas. The Church of Cyprus gained freedom. A temple was built at the place where the relics were found. 3 On the day of the uncovering of the relics, the memory of the holy Apostle Barnabas is celebrated - June 11, according to the old style. Subsequently, there was a monastery of St. Barnabas.
Now this area is occupied by the Turks. The monastery was plundered, the monks were expelled. But the temple of the Holy Apostle is preserved, it can be visited. And nearby in the chapel there is a crypt where the tomb of the Apostle is located. Particles of the relics of the holy apostle are now in the monastery of Stavrovoni and in the monastery of Maheras.
Northern Cyprus. Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called.
The Monastery of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called in the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus was until 1974 one of the most significant in Cyprus. The monastery is located on Cape Karpasia. This is the most northeastern point of the island. In Byzantine times, this area was called Cilicia. According to legend, the Apostle Andrew performed a miracle here - through his prayer, a source of fresh water was opened (the lack of fresh water has always been a problem for the Cypriots). In the ancient church of the monastery, this source has existed since the time of the Apostle Andrew.
Miraculous icon of St. Andrew the First-Called from tamat. Many especially revered icons in Cyprus have been covered with a curtain since the days of iconoclasm. The tradition of tamata - gifts of thanksgiving - dates back to Ancient Greece, the phenomenon of tamat (in Greek - thanksgiving gifts) is widespread in modern Greece and is partly found in our country. It was similar in the Middle Ages: bringing gifts for healing, people expressed gratitude. Therefore, the number of votive gifts in the temple immediately allows you to see which icon is the most healing, which one is most believed in.
