Month: November 2015

Built by Archbishop Germanos II in 1695, the Church of Archangelos Michael Trypiotis in old Lefkosia (Nicosia) is an excellent example of Franco-Byzantine style architecture, with three naves and a dome that almost has the aspect of a square.

Built with attractive, smoothed calcarenite stone that holds a rich interior, the church contains an outstanding icon influenced by an Italian painting of the 15th century, and other silver icons from the period of Ottoman Rule, as well as possessing an unusually wide iconostasis.

According to an inscription to the east of the south entrance, the church was built at the expense of the Priest Iakovos and Christian parishioners in 1695 during Ottoman Rule.

The Medieval Walls that still surround the old city of Lefkosia (Nicosia) were built by the Venetians in the 16th century. Forming a circle, the walls are fortified by eleven heart-shaped bastions and protected by an 80-metre wide moat. They were built of mud brick, with only the lower part buttressed by stone. When the Ottomans occupied Lefkosia, they repaired the walls and covered the upper part with stones.

The original walls were built in the 14th century by the Franks and enclosed a much larger area. When the Venetians occupied Cyprus, they decided to demolish the Frankish walls as their old age meant that they did not offer adequate defences against new weapons of the time, such as artillery. The Frankish walls were also too big to be manned by the Venetian army, and too close to the hills in the east and southeast of the city.

Today, the moat around the walls has many different uses – as  sports fields, public gardens, an open-air sculpture exhibition, car park, and other uses.

The Archontiko (Mansion) of Axiothea, located in the old town of Lefkosia (Nicosia), is one of the most characteristic examples of urban architecture of the 18th century.

The two-storey building was built in the shape of the Greek letter ‘pi’ (Π), with a north-south orientation, and originally occupied a much larger area. The main entrance is located on the east side of the house, which leads to the inner courtyard. On the west and south side is a portico defined by a row of arches that separates the courtyard from the rooms that surround it. There are three big halls, two smaller rooms and two auxiliary rooms on the ground floor, with three more halls and two smaller rooms on the upper floor.

Today, the mansion serves as a centre for cultural activities, exhibitions and literary seminars for the University of Cyprus.

Famagusta Gate (Pyli Ammochostou) is the largest of the three entrances into old Lefkosia through the Venetian walls that completely encircled the old city, and were designed by famous engineer Giulio Savorgnano in 1567.

Originally known as ‘Porta Giuliana’ – the eastern gate of the walls – it was later renamed ‘Famagusta Gate’ as the gate opened onto the road that led to the most important harbour town of the island at the time, that of Famagusta.

Famagusta Gate has since been restored and the Nicosia Municipal Multicultural Centre now operates within the large vaulted passage and its two adjacent rooms. The internal entrance is very impressive, whilst the external one opens onto the moat that surrounds the walls.

Located near Kato Deftera village, 11km southwest of Lefkosia (Nicosia), the church ‘Our Lady of the Golden Cave’ (dedicated to the Virgin Mary) is believed to date back to the early Christian period, and the shape of this small church inside a cave is very rare in Cyprus.

Sadly, the decorated walls of the cave have suffered great damage and the frescoes are no longer visible, but a large religious festival is held on August 15, the day of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.

Pafos (Paphos) Gate was one of the three entrances into old Lefkosia (Nicosia) through the Venetian walls that completely encircled the old city, and were designed by famous engineer Giulio Savorgnano in 1567.

The road beginning immediately outside the gate led southwest to the town of Pafos, hence the gate’s name. It was also known as ‘Gate of San Domenico’ as it replaced an earlier gate of the Frankish walls called ‘Porta di San Domenico’, named after the nearby abbey of San Domenico.

The gate is a simple affair; an opening in the wall, roofed by a barrel vault. During British occupation in 1878, part of the walls between the gate and the Roccas Bastion was demolished to create a new opening. Pafos Gate Police Station is just above the original gate.

The Omeriye Mosque was once the medieval Augustinian monastery of St. Marie, built in the 14th century, and one of the three largest monasteries in the city during the Lusignan era. It originally covered an area of six acres, which included gardens, orchards, a field of wheat and barley, and a sugar plantation.

In 1571, the monastery was converted to a mosque by Lala Mustafa Pasha – the Ottoman conqueror of the island – who believed that the original church was built on the spot where the Caliph Omer rested when visiting Lefkosia. Most of the original building was destroyed by Turkish artillery in 1570, and inscribed tombstones from the Lusignan period were used to install a new floor for the mosque.

Visitors can also see the remains of a late Venetian building near the eastern side of the mosque.

Omeriye Mosque – Audio Guide 

The wood-carved church of Saint George is located in the historic village of Lazanias and was built in 1855.

An inscription inside the church gives testimony that on April 27, 1865, a priestmonk gilded the iconostasis at his own expense. Also of interest are the artfully carved ‘gynaeconitis’ (area reserved for women), and the three earthenware jars that are planted on the floor of the church, and were used for better acoustics during Mass. An unusual vegetal decoration trails over the roof and decorates it.

The village itself takes its name from the word ‘Lusignan’ thanks to a farm of the Lusignan Crusaders that formed the basis of the village.