The first Cypriot church that I was able to get to know. Saw on the hill. And she seemed so beautiful to me that she got on the bus and drove off. Came out, and she - like that, as if from a fairy tale. Inside - no one (it was a very hot day!), Come in, look. Very cold water flows from the wall and there are glasses nearby - take a drink. And the murals … Awesome! And after all, it is clear that the church is new, and the murals are new, and all the same, it is very beautiful. And all the canons are observed! Our churches are also very beautiful, majestic, fundamental, and "Basil the Blessed" is something in general, but these are also beautiful in their own way …
This same church from the other side.
And this is how it looks from the inside!
St. Barbara.
Painting on the dome.
And the carving there is very beautiful …
And in the Greek church they do not stand, they sit. Nothing should distract the believer from communion with God, no physical inconvenience!
First, let's get acquainted with the historical facts. In accordance with them, Christianity was brought to Cyprus by the Holy Apostles Paul, Barnabas and Mark. However, even before their arrival on the island, there were already separate Christian communities. The book "Acts of the Apostles" tells us that the holy apostles Paul and Barnabas went around the whole island, that is, they spent a lot of time on it. It is interesting that the bishop of the Christian community on it was Saint Lazarus himself, well, the one who was resurrected by Jesus Christ himself. Many saints were born on the island, and the Autocephaly of the Cypriot Church was confirmed at the Third Ecumenical Council. And although this happened a very, very long time ago, the Greek Cypriots are still a very pious and pious people. Here today there are many churches, both old and completely new, which are filled with worshipers on Sundays and holidays. Moreover, in one small village there can be several temples at once and this does not surprise anyone.
One of these "coastal" chapels!
In Ayia Napa, chapels stand right along the coast within walking distance of the beaches. So you can take a dip, then take a decent look and pray to the Lord. Or vice versa: first pray, and only then bathe. Among the saints in Cyprus, one of the most revered is the holy great martyr George the Victorious, followed by the righteous Lazarus the Four-Day, the martyr Mamant, who lived on a mountain in the desert, the great martyr Charalampius, martyred in 202, as well as the martyrs Timothy and Maurus, who were tortured in 286.
Cathedral of St. Nicholas XIV century in Famagusta almost a copy of the Reims Cathedral, only yellow. Inside is a mosque. On the left is the minaret!
Cathedral of st. George in Famagusta. The Greeks themselves joke that there is simply nothing to attach a minaret to, otherwise the Turks would have attached it!
The same ruins, but on the other side. Everything around is very civilized, isn't it?
In 1974, the northern part of the island was occupied by Turkish troops. Many Christian churches were then desecrated, and many were destroyed. Some of them, including ancient cathedrals, were turned into mosques and even entertainment centers by the Turks. Many Christians, like centuries ago, were martyred at the hands of their own local Turks, fellow villagers and Turkish soldiers. Recently, however, churches in a number of villages have been restored and the authorities no longer obstruct Orthodox Christians, as they did a couple of decades ago.
Well, now a story will follow about the Orthodox churches and shrines of the island of Cyprus based on, so to speak, personal impressions.
Larnaca. Temple of Saint Lazarus
In the temple of the holy righteous Lazarus the Four-Day, Bishop of Kition - as Larnaca was called in ancient times, I also got to quite by accident. I was interested in something else there, but when I saw him, it was clear that the whole family went to “this building”. And it turned out that the very word "larnac" in Greek means "sarcophagus", and in this temple above are the relics of this saint, and in the underground crypt - his tomb. There, in the crypt, there is also a holy spring. The relics of the saint were found back in the 19th century here, in Larnaca, where they were found in a marble ark with the inscription: "Lazarus, who was dead for four days, friend of Christ." Then a temple was built over his tomb in an old and rare architectural style. The iconostasis is not so ancient, only the 18th century. But its craftsmanship is one of the finest examples of woodcarving found in Cyprus. It contains 120 icons of the 18th century, Byzantine writing. There are also older icons. Well, a Russian pilgrim can immediately notice there a large icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, painted by icon painters from Russia.
Church of St. Lazarus is located very close to the embankment of Larnaca and the fort located at the end of it … Here it is - "the road to the temple."
But he himself, rebuilt many times.
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in a silver setting.
And there is also a chandelier of stunning size and beauty hanging there, and the walls are made of stone blocks of different sizes and sometimes very large, laid on lime.
During the occupation of the island by the Franks, the temple was turned into a Benedectine monastery, then it began to belong to the Armenian Roman Catholics. In 1570, the Turks captured Cyprus, but in 1589 they returned it to the Orthodox. And the Roman Catholics were allowed to perform services there twice a year in a small chapel adjoining his altar from the north. But in 1794 they were deprived of this privilege, since the Catholics began to make claims on the entire church. Interestingly, traces of the former Catholic presence are still visible here today.
Traces of Gothic architecture.
The Byzantine emperor Leo VI the Wise ordered part of the relics of Saint Lazarus to be transported to Constantinople, but the saint's skull and a pair of shin bones remained in Cyprus. Well, the relics from Constantinople were then stolen by the crusaders, who took them to the West. By the way, they call him four days because he was dead for four days, and only after that he was resurrected by Christ. It happened on the Saturday of the sixth week of Great Lent, which has since been called Lazarus Saturday. Many people then, seeing the resurrected Lazarus, believed in the Lord. But the evil Jews decided to kill Lazarus, which is why he left for Cyprus, where he lived for another 30 years, having worked hard to spread Christianity on the island. And here he finally died a second time. And there was no one around who could revive him!
The altar of the temple, but on the right is the shrine of St. Lazarus. See this "silver chest"? This is the very cancer she is.
Once in the church, the first thing we did was to notice the shrine with the relics of the saint. There was a hole in it, from which the brown vault of the skull protruded outward. Everyone came up and held a hand over him, after which they claimed that they felt "the flow of energy." My daughter and wife also felt it, but my sinless granddaughter and I myself did not feel anything. After that, we went down to the dungeon, where claustrophobic patients shouldn't go. There was a whole family of Ethiopians who sang, prayed and, for some reason, bowed all the time. Black Ethiopians in the semi-darkness, and even in white clothes … In a word, I really wanted to say: "Ethiopian, your mother, why are you scaring people!" Plus it was amazing how people could bend 90 degrees so many times in a row.
This is how the dungeon looks and for a long time, in my opinion, only an abnormal person can be!
There is an interesting, just very interesting museum near the temple, but I was not allowed to take pictures in it. Here are exhibited the most ancient icons depicting this righteous man and other saints, as well as wonderful church utensils. Only here you can see a rare image of Saint Lazarus, painted in the 12th century (the saint is depicted in the icon in bishop's clothes). In another icon he is depicted blessing the emperor himself, with the Gospel in his left hand. However, there is a great variety of icons in the museum: both ancient Byzantine and post-Byzantine ones. Old theological books, documents, and one of the most ancient Gospels are also exhibited here.
