Author: Christos

Dedicated to Panagia Chrysaliniotissa (Our Lady of the Golden Flax), this church is believed to be the oldest Byzantine church in Lefkosia (Nicosia), and thought to have been first built in 1450 by Queen Helena Palaeologina. The church is renowned for its rich collection of old and rare icons, and the street it is located on, within the walled city of Lefkosia, was named in its honour (Chrysaliniotissa Street).

Located in the village of Peristerona, on the west bank of Serrahis tributary river, the church dedicated to Saints Barnabas and Hilarion is thought to have been built in the 9th or 10th century. The five-domed building serves as an outstanding example of Cypriot Byzantine architecture, with part of the original church’s north wall still surviving and incorporated in the western part of the wall of the existing church. The oldest wall-painting samples belong to the 15th and 16th centuries.

Next to the church lies the Turkish mosque of Peristerona, and the image of the two side-by-side has appeared on past currency and stamps as a symbol of peaceful coexistence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots prior to the 1974 Turkish invasion.

The church of St. Paul was built in 1893 when Cyprus was a protectorate of the British Empire. The influence of politics on architecture is evident by the structural elements of the building, which is reminiscent of an English parish church. The Christian church today is part of the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf.

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.