Cypriot Orthodox Church 217754 222340107 2008-06-28T20:36:39Z DOI bot 6652755 Citation maintenance. Added: month, year. Formatted: pages. You can [[WP:DOI|use this bot]] yourself! Please [[User:DOI_bot/bugs|report any bugs]]. {{Eastern Christianity}} The ancient Greek Orthodox '''Church of [[Cyprus]]''' ([[Greek language|Greek]]: {{polytonic|Εκκλησία της Κύπρου}} ''Ekklēsía tês Kýprou'') is one of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church organization|fourteen or fifteen]] independent ('[[autocephaly|autocephalous]]') [[Eastern Orthodox church]]es, which are in [[full communion|communion]] and in doctrinal agreement with one another but not all subject to one patriarch. It is one of the oldest autocephalous churches. The bishop of the capital, [[Salamis, Cyprus|Salamis]] (Konstantia), was constituted [[metropolitan bishop|metropolitan]] by [[Emperor Zeno]], with the title of ''[[archbishop]]''. ==History of the church== ===Roman era=== The [[Twelve Apostles|Apostle]] [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]], accompanied by [[Barnabas]] and [[Mark the Evangelist]] (Barnabas' kinsman), came to Cyprus in [[45]] AD to spread [[Christianity]]. Arriving at Salamis, they travelled across the island to Paphos, where [[Sergius Paulus]] was the first Roman official to convert to Christianity. In [[50]] AD St. Barnabas returned to Cyprus accompanied by St. Mark and set up his base in Salamis. He is considered to be the first Archbishop of Cyprus. In [[57]] AD, St. Barnabas was stoned to death by the [[Jews]] on the outskirts of Salamis, where he was also buried. He thus became one of the first martyrs of Christianity. A few of the bishops who helped spread Christianity on the island were [[Lazarus]], the Bishop of Kition, Herakleidios the Bishop of Tamasos, Avxivios the Bishop of Soloi, and Theodotos the Bishop of [[Kyrenia]]. Towards the end of the [[4th century]], Christianity had spread throughout the island. During this time [[Epiphanius of Salamis|St. Epiphanius]] was Archbishop. His seat was in Salamis, which was renamed Constantia. ===Byzantine era=== [[Image:Larnaka eklisia.jpg|thumb|left|320px|[[Lazarus|Agios Lazaros]] Church in [[Larnaca]].]] This independent position by ancient custom was recognized, against the claims of the [[Patriarch of Antioch]], at the [[Council of Ephesus]] ([[431]] CE), and by an edict of the Byzantine [[Emperor Zeno]]. When the Archbishop of Antioch tried to abolish the Church of Cyprus' [[autocephaly]], the Cypriot clergy denounced this before the [[Council of Ephesus|Third Ecumenical Synod]], which convened in [[434]] AD in [[Ephesos]]. The [[Synod]] ratified the autocephaly of the Church of Cyprus by its 8th [[Canon law|canon]]. In [[478]] AD, Archbishop Anthemios of Cyprus, following a vision, found the grave of [[St. Barnabas]] and his [[relic]]s. On the saint's chest rested a copy of the [[Gospel of Matthew]]. The church was thus able to send a cogent argument on its own behalf to the Emperor: the discovery of the relics of its reputed founder, [[Barnabas]]. Zeno confirmed the status of the Church of Cyprus and granted its Archbishop the '''''"three privileges"''''': namely to sign his name in '''cinnabar''', an ink made [[vermilion]] by the addition of the mineral [[cinnabar]]; to wear [[purple]] instead of black [[cassock|robes]] under his [[vestments]]; and to hold an imperial [[sceptre]] (i.e. a [[Gilding|gilt]] staff of [[silver]], topped by a [[gold]] [[globus cruciger]]) instead of the regular episcopal [[crosier]]. Cyprus suffered greatly from Arab invasions in the following centuries, and during the reign of [[Justinian II]] the cities of [[Salamis, Cyprus|Salamis]] (Constantia), Kourion and [[Paphos]] were sacked. At the advice of the Emperor, the Archbishop fled to the [[Hellespont]] along with the survivors, and established the city of '''''Nova Justiniana''''' ([[Greek language|Greek]]: Νέα Ιουστινιανή, ''Néa Iustinianē''), named after the Emperor, near the city of [[Cyzicus]]. In [[692]] the [[Quinisext Council]] (also called "in Trullo") reconfirmed the status and privileges of the exiled Archbishop and in [[698]], when the Arabs were driven out of Cyprus, the Archbishop returned but retained the title of '''''"Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus"''''': a custom that, along with the "three privileges", continues to this day. ===Crusader era=== After the establishment of [[Kingdom of Cyprus]] the Catholic kings gradually reduced the number of Orthodox bishops from 14 to 4 and forced those away from their towns. The archbishop was moved from Nicosia to the region of Solia, near [[Morphou]], the bishop of [[Larnaca]] was moved to the village of Lefkara etc. Each orthodox bishop was under the Catholic bishop of the area. The Catholic church tried on occasion to force the Orthodox bishops to make concessions on the differences in doctrine and practices between the two churches, sometimes with threats and sometimes using violence and torture, as in the case of the 13 monks in Kantara. Moreover the properties of many monasteries were confiscated. The persecutions, especially during the Frankish period, did not succeed in uprooting the faith of the Orthodox [[Greek Cypriot]]s. The Franks were succeeded by the Venetians in 1489 without any significant change to the status of the Orthodox Church. ===Ottoman era=== [[Image:kykkos,district of nicosia.jpg|thumb|320px|[[Kykkos Monastery]] in [[Troodos Mountains]], [[District of Nicosia]].]] The conquest of Cyprus by the [[Ottoman Empire]] in [[1571]] led to the recognition of the Orthodox church as the only legal Christian church. The church was considered by the [[Ottomans]] to be the political leadership of the Christian population (Rum millet) and was responsible for collecting taxes. Because of the different policies of the Ottoman empire towards Muslim and non Muslim citizens, especially regarding taxation, some Christians converted to [[Islam]]. These are known in Cyprus with the name "Linopampakoi". Attempts were made subsequently by the patriarchs of Antioch to claim authority over the Cypriot Church, the last as recently as [[1600]], but in vain. Nevertheless, during the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman period]] (1571-1878) Cyprus went through hard times. People lived in insecurity and their life and property was constantly at the disposal of the Ottomans. The role of the Church in the preservation of faith, [[national identity]] and traditions of orthodox Greek Cypriots was particularly important. The churches were not mere places of worship but were transformed to schools and places of ethnic inspiration. The [[Greek War of Independence|revolution in Greece]] in 1821, together with information of a revolutionary movement in Cyprus, resulted in the execution of [[Archbishop Kyprianos]] on [[9 July]] [[1821]] and Bishops Chrysanthos of Paphos, Meletios of Kitium, Lavrentios of Kyrenia, of the Abbot Josef of the Kykkos Monastery and other notables, clergymen and common people. In [[1872]] archbishop Sofronios of Cyprus partipated in a council in [[Constantinople]] which condemned [[nationalism]], triggered by the unilateral declaration of autocephaly by the Bulgarian church. ===British colonial rule=== The purchase of Cyprus by the [[British Empire|British]] in [[1878]] allowed more freedom in religious practices, such as the use of [[church bell|bells]] in churches (which were forbidden under the Ottomans). Some linopampakoi took advantage of the political change to convert back to Christianity. [[John Hackett]] published "A history of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus" in [[1901]]. At about the same time the church went through a crisis regarding the succession of the archbishop. The two candidates, [[Kyrillos II]] and [[Kyrillos III]] had mainly political differences (one was a nationalist whereas the other was a moderate). Although the Church gained more freedom under British rule, the British Administration interfered, in certain cases, using restrictive laws on the management of the Church and other areas of national and cultural activity. This led to the October [[1931]] riot organised by bishops who were also members of the legislative assembly. As a consequence of this uprising, bishops Nikodemos of Kition, and Makarios of Kyrenia were exiled, and restrictions were imposed on the election of the Archbishop. As a result the filling of the Archbishop's throne was pending from [[1933]] (the death of Archbishop Kyrillos III) to [[1946]], when the Bishop of Paphos, Leontios, was elected as the new Archbishop. In [[1950]], [[Makarios III]] was elected Archbishop. While still Bishop of Kition he had demonstrated strong intellectual and national activity. In 1949 he founded the Apostle Varnavas Seminary, and in [[1950]] he organised the [[referendum]] on the Union (''[[Enosis]]'') between Cyprus and [[Greece]]. While archbishop he was the political leader of the [[EOKA]] liberation struggle in the years [[1955]]-[[1959]]. The British exiled him to the [[Seychelles]] because of his activities. ===Cypriot independence=== [[Image:Archbishobic palace.jpg|thumb|320px|Statue of [[Makarios III]] outside the Archbishops' Palace in [[Nicosia]].]] In [[1960]], Archbishop Makarios III was elected President of the newly established [[Republic of Cyprus]]. Disagreements of the other three bishops with Makarios lead to the [[Ecclesiastical coup]]. Following the dethronement of the Bishops of Paphos, Kitium and [[Kyrenia]] for conspiring against Makarios, two new Bishoprics were created: the Bishopric of [[Limassol]] which was detached from the Bishopric of Kition, and the Bishopric of Morfou which was detached from the Bishopric of Kyrenia. The [[Coup d'état]] of [[15 July]] [[1974]] forced Archbishop Makarios III to leave the island. He returned in December 1974. ===Turkish invasion=== The coup was followed by the [[Turkish Invasion of Cyprus|Turkish invasion]] of [[20 July]] 1974 which affected significantly the Church and its flock: as 35% of Cyprus' territory came under Turkish occupation, hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Christians were displaced and those that couldn't or didn't want to leave (20,000 initially) faced oppression. As of May [[2001]] figures only 421 Greek Cypriots and 155 [[Maronites]] remain in North Cyprus. The destruction of Christian monuments was another important consequence.<ref> {{cite journal|title=An Introduction to the Issue of Preserving Cultural Heritage|journal=Brown Classical Journal|date=2003|first=Carolyn|last=Bachman|coauthors=|volume=15|issue=|pages=|id= |url=http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Classics/bcj/15-Contents.html|format=|accessdate=2007-01-29}}</ref> Churches containing Byzantine icons, frescoes and mosaics of incalculable value have been pillaged by antiquities dealers and sold on the black market. One of the most prominent cases of pillage was of the mosaics of Panayia of Kanakaria of the [[6th century]] AC, which were finally returned to the Church of Cyprus, following a ruling by the [[Indianapolis]] Court.<ref> {{cite journal|title=Autocephalous Greek-Orthodox Church of Cyrprus v. Goldberg & Feldman Fine Arts, Inc. |journal=The American Journal of International Law|date=Jan 1992|first=Christiane |last=Bourloyannis|coauthors=Virginia Morris|volume=86|issue=1|pages=128–133|doi= 10.2307/2203143|url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-9300(199201)86%3A1%3C128%3AAGCOCV%3E2.0.CO%3B2-O|format=|accessdate=2007-01-29|month=Jan|year=1992}}</ref> In the occupied areas of Cyprus there are 514 churches, chapels and monasteries, many of which were converted to mosques, museums or abandoned.<ref>{{cite news | first=Chris | last=Morris | coauthors= | title=Shame of Cyprus' looted churches | date=2002-01-18 | publisher= | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1768274.stm | work =BBC | pages = | accessdate = 2007-01-29 | language = }}</ref> ===Recent events=== On [[3 August]] [[1977]], Archbishop Makarios died and was succeeded by Archbishop Chrysostomos I. In [[1979]], the new Statutory Charter of the Church of Cyprus was drawn up and approved replacing the old one of [[1914]]. In old age, Archbishop Chrysostomos suffered from Alzheimer's disease and was unable to carry out his duties for a number of years. In May 2006, [[Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I]] chaired a broader meeting of church elders which called for Chrysostomos' "honorary removal." [[Metropolitan Chrysostomos]] of Paphos, 65, was elected the new archbishop on November 5, 2006, after a long-running election campaign, becoming [[Archbishop Chrysostomos II]], Archbishop of Nea Justiniana and All Cyprus. ==Holy Synod== The Holy Synod of the Autocephalous Church of Cyprus is the highest church authority in Cyprus. Its task is to examine and provide solutions on all issues concerning the Church of Cyprus. It consists of his Beatitude the Archbishop of Cyprus as the Head of the Holy Synod, the Bishops of [[Paphos]], [[Kition]], [[Kyrenia]], [[Limassol]] and [[Morphou]], the Suffragan Bishops of Salamis, Trimithous and Arsinoe and the Bishop of Kykko Nikiforos, as regular members. The Holy Synod meets regularly in the first week after [[Easter]] and in the first fortnight of the months of February and September. It meets in ad hoc sessions when it is deemed necessary or when two of its members put forward a request. See also: [[List of Archbishops of Cyprus]] ==Source== *[http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/cyphome/govhome.nsf/LookupIDs/56EFF47249680FF2C2256AA2004554CC?OpenDocument&languageNo=1 Official Cypriot Government (About Church of Cyprus)] ==Religious sites in Cyprus== * 9 Byzantine churches in the [http://www.kypros.org/Cyprus/troodos.html Troodos mountains] are listed by UNESCO as World Heritage sites, [http://www.kypros.org/Cyprus/gifs/troodos.gif pictured here]. *[[Kykkos Monastery]], guardians of the holy Kykkotissa Icon, an unusual representation of the infant Jesus kicking with joy on his mother's lap. *Icons smuggled from the [http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/cyprusicons/ Bishopric of the Holy Metropolis of Kyrenia] and [http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/cyprusicons/ Church of Panaghia Asinou] in the northern Turkish-occupied part of the island were repatriated by a collector in the United States of America in 2007. *Icons from [http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/cyprusicons/ Kalopanayiotis village] stolen even earlier, before the division of the island, have also been returned to the Church's custody. *Some estimate that since 1974 looters in Northern Cyprus have stripped an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 icons; several dozen major frescoes and mosaics dating from the sixth to the fifteenth century; and thousands of chalices, wooden carvings, crucifixes, and Bibles. Efforts by the Autocephalous Church of Cyprus and the Republic of Cyprus to return some of these objects are described in a 1998 issue of [http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/cyprus/index.html Archeology] magazine but the majority remain lost. * Churches in capital Nicosia such as Chrysaliniotissa ''Our Lady of the Golden Flax'' and Panayia Chrysospiliotissa ''Our Lady of the Gold Cave'', along with the Byzantine Museum of the Archbishop Makarios III Foundation, [http://www.kypros.org/Cyprus/nicosia.html listed for interested visitors] * [http://kypros.org/Sxetikos/Monastiria/Contents.htm Monasteries] listed separately. * Photo Gallery of the ruins of the Roman Catholic Augustinian Cloister named [http://www.north-cyprus-properties.com/places/bellapais-monastery/default.asp Bellepais] near Kyrenia ==External links== *[http://www.churchofcyprus.org.cy/ Orthodox Church of Cyprus], official site * Background on events curtailing [http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-bodypg-us.aspx?eccpageID=22&IndexView=toc religious freedoms] and reports of signs of hope, such as the November 30, 1994 celebration of the Eucharist at St. Andrew monastery on the Karpas peninsula, the first event in the north in 20 years, from the CNEWA (Catholic Near East Welfare Association). ==References== <references/> {{Greek Orthodox Christianity}} {{Orthodoxy}} {{Orthodoxy in Europe}} [[Category:Eastern Orthodox churches]] [[Category:Christianity in Cyprus|Orthodox Church]] [[Category:Orthodoxy by country]] [[Category:Christianity in Europe]] [[Category:National churches|Cyprus]] [[Category:Members of the World Council of Churches]] [[ar:الكنيسة القبرصية الأرثوذكسية]] [[frp:Égllése ortodoxe de Ch·ipre]] [[be:Кіпрская праваслаўная царква]] [[ca:Església Ortodoxa de Xipre]] [[de:Zypriotisch-Orthodoxe Kirche]] [[el:Εκκλησία της Κύπρου]] [[es:Iglesia Ortodoxa Chipriota]] [[fr:Église orthodoxe de Chypre]] [[hr:Ciparska pravoslavna Crkva]] [[it:Chiesa ortodossa di Cipro]] [[hu:Ciprusi Ortodox Egyház]] [[nl:Cypriotisch-orthodoxe Kerk]] [[pt:Igreja Ortodoxa de Chipre]] [[ru:Кипрская православная церковь]] [[fi:Kyproksen ortodoksinen kirkko]]