Nicosia - Religious Interest   

As much as Paphos was very much a town dedicated to the goddess Aphrodite, Nicosia is very much a city dedicated to the Greek Orthodox Church, the primary Christian religion of Cyprus. And while you will see many recent churches, it really is the prevalence and impressive beauty of some of the more historical churches to be found in and around Nicosia that will give you some kind of idea of just how important their faith was to the people of old Nicosia.

One thing you’ll soon find out about us, is that deep down there is still that belief that miracles do happen; and if you tend to suffer from headaches then you simply must go and visit the church of Agios (Saint) Kassianos. You’ll find this in the old town of Nicosia, right on the Green Line; go straight for the silver helmet which is said to belong to this saint who dates back to Roman times. It’s believed to be quite miraculous and is especially powerful against headaches. The actual church is quite impressive too, as it’s the only surviving church in Cyprus dedicated to Agios Kassianos; its current structure was built in 1854, while the original Latin Church was destroyed by the Ottoman Invasion of Nicosia in 1570. After you’ve got the key from the house next to the church, have a look especially for the golden box, which is said to house the skull and bones of the fourth century saint.

Of course if you really want to see how important and influential the Orthodox Church is in Cyprus, you only have to look at the Archbishop’s Palace, which is only open to guests on special occasions. It was built by the man who made independence possible for Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios, between 1956 and 1961 and was finished as soon as the country was freed from British colonial rule. The building is neo-Byzantine in style and really shows how seriously those in charge take themselves. If you want a bit of a closer look however, visit the old palace next door, which now houses the Folk Museum where you’ll be able to see a collection of folk art from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In fact, the building itself is quite old and in its first life dates back to the fifteenth century when it belonged to a Benedictine monastery.

If you want to see the oldest Byzantine church in the country, go to the Church of Panagia Chrysaliniotissa (Our Lady of the Golden Flax). Built in 1450 by the wife of King John (a Lusignan king), it includes an earlier church built in the eleventh century and is in fact named after an eleventh century icon, painted on linen which shows the mother of god wearing a golden crown. You can still see this icon in the church, which legend says was found in a field of flax.

One of the by products of the Ottoman Empire is that many historical buildings were destroyed and subsequently converted. One of the most important of these is the Omeriye Mosque which is the only one in the free part of Nicosia still being used today as a place of Muslim worship. The original building was in fact dedicated to St. Mary and was one of the biggest Latin churches in Cyprus; it was also important because it was believed that the bones of John de Montfort, one of Cyprus’ most famous Latin saints (he was on the fourth crusade with St. Louis), were buried here. The original Augustinian church was destroyed by Ottoman gunfire in 1570 and was rebuilt as a mosque, after the conquering general declared that it was the resting place of the Prophet Omar.