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A BRIEF HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF AGIA KYRIAKI CHRYSOPOLITISSA
(“The church by St.Paul's Pillar)
Early Christian History:
The earliest reference to Christianity in Cyprus is found in the
Acts of the Apostles (chapter 13). This tells of a visit to the
island by Paul, Barnabas (who was a Cypriot by birth) and John Mark,
at the start of what is called St. Paul's First Missionary Journey.
The visit is probably to be dated in the second half of the 40's of
the 1st century AD and the three probably came in the
hope of converting Jews. They landed on the east coast at Salamis,
the largest city (it had 3 synagogues) and then came to the Roman
capital Nea (New) Paphos, now Kato {Lower} Paphos. There is no
indication that many Jews were won
over but one Jew had a dramatic encounter with St. Paul. This was the
prophet or magus known variously as Elymas and Bar Jesus. He
resisted the Christian missionaries at the court of the proconsul in
Paphos and was consequently denounced by St.Paul, who correctly
predicted that he would, as a punishment, temporarily lose his
sight. This event so impressed the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, that
he converted to the Christian faith (becoming the first Roman ruler
to do so). However, since it was part of the proconsul’s job to
oversee pagan religious rites Sergius Paulus may well have had to
resign his post as a result! The site of the proconsul’s residence
is uncertain but it may well have been in the area where the mosaics
are located. (The 'House of Theseus' may have been the proconsul’s
residence in the 3rd century AD and may have been built
on the site of an earlier building).
In 2 Corinthians 11: 24-25 St. Paul says that during his ministry so
far he has been beaten five times by the Jews, three times by the
Romans. Cypriot tradition has it that the apostle was tied to one of
the many pillars that now lie adjacent to the church of Agia Kyriaki
and beaten. If this is correct it will probably have been done by
the Jews but, as neither Acts nor Paul’s letters speak of any
mistreatment in Cyprus, the tradition of the beating, and the
association of the apostle with the area where Agia Kyriaki lies,
must remain open to question.
The Basilica
At the beginning of the 4th century AD a magnificent
Christian basilica, the largest on the island, was built near the
site of the present church. The floors were decorated with mosaics
in floral and geometric patterns and the columns were made out of
granite and marble with Corinthian-styled capitals. The basilica was
divided into seven aisles with the central nave ending in the east
in a double apse. The narthex, or porch, at the west end opened onto
a colonnaded court. To the south of this site the outlines of a
building were found that might have been the residence of the
Bishop.
The Basilica was extensively remodelled and reduced to five aisles.
The double apse was replaced with a single one and the large floor
areas were also repaved with new mosaics. The reason for this
refurbishment is obscure yet it certainly reflects the continuing
prosperity of Paphos. The Basilica appears to have been destroyed at
the time of the Arab invasion in 653 AD. Paphos suffered great
damages at that time, as the Arab graffiti on the fallen columns
support.
The Small Byzantine Church.
Sometime later a small Byzantine Church was erected above the ruins
of the Basilica. Its foundations were found directly below the
present church.
The Lusignan Dynasty.
In 1191 Richard the Lionheart, King of England, landed in Cyprus en
route for the Third Crusade. After some adventurous battles he
conquered the island from a Byzantine prince, Isaac Comnenos, who
had become ruler of Cyprus. Financially Richard was unable to hold
the island and he sold it to the Knights Templar. One year later, in
1192, the island changed hands again; this time it was acquired by
the French knight, Guy de Lusignan, sovereign of the "Crusader
Kingdom of Jerusalem". The Lusignan period lasted until 1498.
The official schism between Eastern and Western Christendom had
existed since 1054 but it reached a climax in 1260 when Pope
Alexander IV issued the Bulla Cypria and the Latin Archbishop became
Metropolitan of both churches – the Roman Catholic and the
Byzantine. Thus Paphos was a centre of the Frankish administration
and of the Catholic Church for a period of 300 years. During 1219
St. Francis of Assisi is believed to have visited the island and from
this time onwards "the Cordeliers" maintained a presence in Cyprus.
By the late 13th or early 14th century the
Franciscan foundation built a Gothic church. The remains of this
beautiful building, unique in Cyprus, lie at a somewhat higher level
on the edge of the ruins of the Basilica, adjacent to the present
wooden walkway. There were other churches in the Paphos area,
amongst them a Gothic cathedral.
The Venetian influence.
By 1498 the island came under the control of the Venetians. It was
during this time that the present building was constructed in the
style of a Byzantine church. The building is erected over an earlier
church that was destroyed in an earthquake in 1159.
The Ottoman period.
With the invasion of the Ottomans in 1570 the Catholic dominance
came to an end. Many Latin churches were either destroyed or changed
into mosques - the St. Sophia church near the Municipal Market was
converted to a mosque in this fashion. Through special arrangements
the church by St Paul’s pillar was spared destruction and was named
Agia Kyriaki Chrysopolitissa, the Byzantine Cathedral of Kato
Paphos.
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