Orthodox churches in Cyprus. My impression of the shrines of Orthodox Cyprus - Kykkos Monastery and other Temples

Russian Christians have long maintained close ties with the Orthodox Churches of the East, and these ties have not been interrupted for a whole millennium. This article is devoted to an overview of the historical relations of the Russian Orthodox Church with one of the ancient Churches of the East, which had apostolic origin - the Cypriot Orthodox Church.

Cyprus and Kievan Rus

Information about Cyprus became known in Rus' to a large extent thanks to St. Epiphanius of Cyprus (367-403), whose veneration in Rus' has been from time immemorial. Saint Epiphanius, being a native of Palestine, was elected Bishop of Salamis in Cyprus in 367, and for the next 36 years, until his death, governed this diocese. The doctrine of the incorporeal forces governing the world, contained in one of the writings of St. Epiphanius, was already known in Rus' in the 11th century; it is cited by the ancient chronicler, who on this basis explained all celestial phenomena.

The word of St. Epiphanius of Cyprus "On 12 stones" was included in the "Izbornik Svyatoslav" (1073). Even more famous was his other work - “The Word on the Burial of the Body of Christ”, included in the “Klottsov Collection” - a Glagolitic monument of ancient Slavic writing of the 11th century. Cyprus itself is mentioned in the Laurentian Chronicle in the list of countries inherited by one of the sons of Noah - Ham. This news passes along with the presentation of biblical history in all subsequent chronicles.

Russian Christians from ancient times began to undertake pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and on the way to Palestine, some of them visited Cyprus. The first written evidence of this kind is the “walking” of Father Superior Daniel, who traveled to the East during the reign of the Kiev prince Svyatopolk Izyaslavovich (1098–1113), at the very time when, as a result of the Crusades, access to Palestine was again opened to pilgrims from European countries.

“And from Chios to the island of Cyprus, there are 200 versts to the great one. Cyprus, on the other hand, is an island of great greatness, and there are many people in it and it is abundant in all good things. The essence is that there is a bishop in him 24, but there is only one metropolia”, - these lines begin the first description of Cyprus known today by the Russian pilgrim - hegumen Daniel. It is also important because it is the only Russian evidence that refers to the Byzantine period of the island's history. As you know, in 1190 Cyprus was conquered by the English king Richard the Lionheart, and in 1193 sold to the Jerusalem king Lusignan, who declared Catholicism the dominant confession in Cyprus.

One of the heralds of Christianity in Cyprus was the Apostle Barnabas. Together with the Apostle Paul, he preached the gospel at Salamis (Acts 13:4-13), and then went all the way to Paphos (Paphos). The Apostle Barnabas was in Cyprus for the second time with John, called Mark (Acts 15:37,39), here he spent his last years, suffered a martyr's death from the Jews, who stoned him, and was buried in a cave near Salamis.

Hegumen Daniel considered Cyprus as a place of feat and repose of the holy ascetics of the Church of Christ, among them he mentioned the Apostle Barnabas, a native of this island: “And there are many saints without number: St. Bishop Triphyllius, he was baptized by Paul the Apostle, and Figrios Bishop.

Continuing the analysis of the notes of abbot Daniel, it should be noted that the oldest of the chronographs of Cyprus - the Greek Leonty Mahera (1410) wrote that in 327 A.D. the island was visited on the way back from Jerusalem by the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Queen Elena, mother of the emperor Constantine. Queen Helena founded churches in Vasilopotam and Togna, to whom she presented particles of the acquired honest Cross of the Lord. This historical evidence can be compared with the story of Abbot Daniel, who several centuries earlier described his visit to those places in Cyprus that were associated with the stay of St. Helena Equal-to-the-Apostles on this island: on that (Filagrios) mountain, St. Helen, the queen, put a cross of cypress, to drive away demons, and to heal every ailment, and putting the honest nail of Christ into it, and there are many signs and wonders in that place<…>And that unworthy one bowed down to that miraculous shrine, and I saw with my sinful eyes the grace of God, existing in that place, and passing the island of that good ... ".

Further, the path of abbot Daniel lay in the Holy Land: “And from the island of Cyprus to Yafa city there are 400 versts, all go by sea ...”. With these words, he ends his description of Cyprus - the first in the history of Russian-Cypriot church relations.

In his further notes relating to Palestine, hegumen Daniel twice compared the Jordan with the river, which he called Pine (in another list of “walking” - Again): “Jordan is like a Pine River to everyone”; “And there is like the Jordan along the Pine River” . This comparison gave rise to some domestic researchers to suggest that hegumen Daniel was a native of Chernigov, since it was in these lands that the river flowed, which in ancient times had the name Pine. The Russian historian N. M. Karamzin also believed that hegumen Daniel was subsequently appointed Bishop of Yuryevsky in 1113.

The invasion of Batu's troops into Rus' in 1240 made the pilgrimage of Russian people to the Holy Land extremely difficult, and therefore it is not surprising that the following written evidence, in which Cyprus is briefly mentioned, refers only to the second half of the 14th century. This is “The Walking of Archimandrite Agrethenius of the Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos”, written around 1370. About Cyprus, Archimandrite Agrethenius writes briefly: “From Rhodes to Cyprus 300 (versts - A. A.). In the island of Cypri, the cross of a prudent robber.

Regarding the name of the author of this "Journey", it should be noted that the name Agrefeniy is not found in the Orthodox menologions. Agrefeniy - these are the little-used names Agrippa, Agrippin or Agrippiy, spoiled in the popular dialect. Thus, the name of the archimandrite - the author of this "walk" could actually be Agrippa, Agrippin or Agrippius. The next question is from which particular monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos the author of the “walk” was. The choice can be made between the two Mother of God cloisters that existed at the end of the 14th century: Kiev-Pechersk and Smolensk.

Another message about Cyprus dates back to the same time. The Nikon chronicle mentions the military events of 1366, in which the Cypriot prince, the Egyptian “saltan” and the Byzantine emperor appear.

Cyprus and Russia in the 15th-16th centuries.

During the period under consideration in Rus', as before, much attention was paid to the theological works of St. Epiphanius of Cyprus. Thus, for example, the desire to acquaint Russian Christians with general historical events on a broader scale was expressed in the compilation of “Chronographs”, which presented a presentation of events according to several chronicle sources. Chronographs compiled according to Byzantine sources have been found in Rus' since the 15th century. Among them, the Hellenic and Roman Chronicler occupies a prominent place. This Chronograph opens with an essay by Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus on the six days of creation.

For the study of Russian-Cypriot relations, “The Progress of the Monk Zosima” (1419–1422) is of great interest. Information about this author, like about most other Russian ancient pilgrims, is extremely scarce and is limited only to what he himself announced about himself in the description of his “Journey” that has come down to us. Zosima belonged to the brethren of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery and is referred to in one place as a hierodeacon, and in another as a hieromonk.

After living 6 months in Kyiv, Zosima sailed through Belgorod by sea to Constantinople, where he lived for two and a half months. From here, visiting Athos, through the islands of Chios and Patmos, he went to Jerusalem and arrived in the Holy City just before Easter 1420. After a year's stay in Palestine, Zosima left Jerusalem for Constantinople, where, having lived all winter, in May 1422 he returned to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery.

Monk Zosima visited Cyprus in 1421 on his return from the Holy Land to his homeland. Departing from Jaffa, he reached Cyprus by sea and went ashore near the ancient city of Kition (modern Larnaca), associated with the name of the Gospel Lazarus. According to legend, after his resurrection by the Lord, Lazarus arrived in Cyprus and was here the bishop of Kition. “And from there (from Jaffa - A. A.) I went to the ship and then there was a ship shelter, - wrote the monk Zosima. - And we went 300 miles and arrived to the island of Cyprus in Limen to the city of Kiisky; here Lazar was a four-day bishop. And so I went up the mountain, where the cross stands of the prudent robber, we hold it with air. But the mountain was high, velmi.”

Further, Monk Zosima gives information that reflects the ecclesiastical and political changes that took place during the reign of the Lusignan dynasty in Cyprus. “In the same island, the city of the great table Leukusia (Nicosia), continues the monk Zosima. - Here sits Riga Fryazhsky (Frankish, Catholic - A. A.), that is, the prince, owns the whole island and his brother artziburt; Greek bishops 4, and 2 laymen and 2 blacks. In all the Greek churches, the organs are sung on great feasts.

This message coincides with the historical fact that in 1196 the Latin hierarchy was implanted in Cyprus, and in 1215 the Catholics transferred the archiepiscopal see from Arsinoe (Famagusta) to Leukosia (Nicosia). In addition, in 1260, Pope Alexander IV issued a bull, according to which the Greek Orthodox hierarchy in Cyprus was completely subordinate to the Catholic archbishop, which soon led to the Latinization of Greek Orthodox worship.

Mentioning the capital of Cyprus - Lefkosia (Nicosia), the monk Zosima also listed a number of other large Cypriot cities at that time, noting the places especially revered by Christians: “And the 2nd city of Kyrenia<…>Ottol there is a village of princes 10 versts, called Omorpho (Morfu), that is, good<…>and here lies Saint Mamas and sharpens (exudes) myrrh on his holiday, the 4th city of Siruria (Famagusta), the 5th city of Lemoshch (Limassol), the 6th - Epapha (Paphos), the 7th - Kitea (Larnaca), where was Lazarus the four days old.”

Unlike his predecessors from Russia, the monk Zosima was able to stay in Cyprus for quite a long time, which allowed him to visit the famous Kikko monastery, founded in the reign of the Byzantine emperor Alexei Komnenos (1081-1118). “And stayed in this island in the city of Leukusia (Nicosia) for a month and a half. Zoves Monastery of Bivia<…>And byhom in that Kikko monastery. And I went to the ship and went 500 miles and saw the earth and mountains, which I did not hear in Scripture, and walked along the Lukomorye and on the island of Rhodes”, - this is how the resident of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery concludes his story about Cyprus.

Before proceeding to the report on the next “Journey” of Russian pilgrims, it is impossible not to mention that at that time the Cypriots also visited Orthodox Rus'. This is evidenced, for example, by the records of Cypriots in handwritten books that existed in Rus'. Thus, the Russian list of the writings of St. John Chrysostom of the first half of the 15th century from the Sophia Collection retained the following Russian postscript: “And this book, the work of John Chrysostom, was written off by the former abbot Euthymius of Kupreya Island.” The mention in the record of the Cypriot Euthymius today can be considered the earliest evidence of the stay of a resident of Cyprus in Rus'.

As already noted, the “Walking” of Abbot Daniel (12th century) was the first (and last) Russian written evidence about Cyprus during the relatively calm existence of Orthodoxy on this island. Another ecclesiastical and literary monument is “The Journey of the Hieromonk Barsanuphius to the Holy City of Jerusalem in 1456 and 1461–1462.” became the last known Russian description of Cypriot shrines in the period preceding the capture of the island by the Turks in 1571.

In describing his first trip to the Holy Land, monk Barsanuphius only briefly mentioned Cyprus, listing the cities through which he followed on his way to Jerusalem: “He went from Kiev to Belograd and from Belagrad to Tsaryugrad,” wrote Barsanuphius. - From Constantinople I went to Crete. From Crete went to Rhodes. From Rhodes I went to Cyprus. And from Cyprus I went to Sureya to the city of Ladokeya.

Following the first “Journey”, the manuscript contains a story about the second wandering of Barsanuphius: “I will make another journey to the holy city of Jerusalem after the years of my arrival in Rus'.” Barsanuphius himself dates his first walk to 1456: “I came to the holy city of Jerusalem,” he writes, “of the month of Maya on the 2nd day in the summer of 6964 (1456); stay in Jerusalem 2 months and go around all the holy places.” Consequently, he could not return to Rus' before the second half of 1456.

Barsanuphius, as in his first journey, notes his departure from Kyiv. This gives some indication of where he lived at the time. If it was not Kyiv itself, then, apparently, the area lying near Kiev. As during the first "walking", the path of Barsanuphius lay through Belgorod, Constantinople, Galipoli, Crete, Rhodes and Cyprus. In Cyprus, this time he went to the mountain, “on it place St. Helen the cross of the prudent robber”, and to the monastery of St. Mamant, “where his holy relics lie in the place called Stomorof (Morph), and myrrh flows from his holy relics” .

In the 16th century, Russian-Cypriot church ties continued to develop - representatives of the Cypriot clergy are mentioned in the annals, for example, the Cypriot Bishop Damaskin, who, among other Orthodox hierarchs of the East, signed a charter for the reign of Ivan IV (1561).

But after another 10 years, the independent existence of Christianity in Cyprus came to an end; in 1571 the island was captured by the Turks. This sad event was also reflected in the traditional pilgrimage routes of Russian people to the Holy Land, who now no longer had the opportunity to visit Cyprus. This can be seen, for example, from the text describing the “Journey” of Moscow pilgrims Trifon Korobeinikov and Yuri Grekov to the East, which was made in 1582 at the behest of Ivan the Terrible to commemorate Tsarevich Ivan Ioannovich. These pilgrims only briefly mention Cyprus, since the difficult situation did not favor the traditional visit to the Cypriot shrines: “From the island of Rhodes, by the wide White Sea, go to the island of Cyprus in a day, from the island of Cyprus to Tripoli, the city is a day’s walk.”

When analyzing Russian-Cypriot church relations, it is necessary to clarify one controversial historical issue related to the name of Patriarch Ignatius of Moscow (1605–1606). In domestic studies of the late XIX - early XX century. it was argued that this church leader, whose name is associated with not the brightest pages of Russian history, was a Cypriot.

So, for example, in the “Complete Theological Encyclopedic Dictionary” (ed. 1913) the following is said on this occasion: “Ignatius, Patriarch of Moscow, Greek. Ignatius was at first an archbishop on the island of Cyprus, until he was taken by the Turks, when he had to leave and arrived in Russia, taking the place of the Ryazan bishop under Godunov, and taking the side of the impostor, he, at the behest of the latter, was elected by the cathedral of the Russian clergy as the Moscow Patriarch. After the death of False Dmitry, he was either overthrown for his obvious adherence to Poland, or again elevated to the throne by the supporters of King Sigismund. He died in 1640 in Vilna, where he fled from Russian persecution.

Even a modern Cypriot researcher wrote about this, arguing that “the Moscow Patriarch Ignatius was a Cypriot, who at the beginning of the 17th century played a large role in the struggle between Boris Godunov and False Dmitry. Probably, Ignatius was formerly a bishop in Cyprus and fled to Russia, like many other Cypriots - clergy and secular persons - after the conquest of Cyprus by the Turks in 1571. But such statements do not have any serious grounds, except for references to messages that came from Ignatius himself at one time.

Here is what the Russian church historian A.V. Kartashev writes about this, who more carefully assessed the annalistic reports about the Cypriot origin of Ignatius: “Before, without reservation, Ignatius was considered an archbishop from the island of Cyprus, who studied in Rome and accepted the union there. But the notes of Arseny Elassonsky (although naturally condescending to his countryman) make one be more careful in the negative characterization of Ignatius. According to Arseny, he was not from Cyprus, but from Mount Athos, and was there the bishop of the neighboring city of Erisso. He came to Moscow for the coronation of Tsar Theodore as a representative of the Patriarchate of Alexandria. Here he stayed and achieved in 1605 the Ryazan department. This means that Muscovites, suspicious of Latinism, did not notice anything Latin in him. But naturally, during the Troubles, he, like a stranger, easily swam with the flow and adapted to the prevailing course - for the Pretender<…>Ignatius, the first of the bishops, in June 1605, went to Tula to meet the Pretender, recognized him, took an oath and swore others.

And, finally, the assumption that the odious figure of Ignatius was not involved in the history of Russian-Cypriot relations is supported by the statement of the modern researcher O. A. Belobrova, who stated that “Archbishop Ignatius is unknown in the sources on the history of Cyprus. In all likelihood, Ignatius had nothing to do with Cyprus.

Cyprus and Russia in the 17th century

The strengthening of Turkish influence in Cyprus continued throughout the 17th century; from this time not a single written evidence of a visit to Cyprus by Russian pilgrims has been preserved. But the development of Russian-Cypriot relations continued, and this was facilitated, paradoxically, by the strengthening of Turkish oppression on the island. In the first half of the 17th century, representatives of the Cypriot clergy began to come to Russia often in search of intercession and help. The materials of the archive “Relations between Russia and Greece” (“Greek Affairs”), which have survived far from complete, contain documents about the arrival of Cypriots in Moscow “to beg for alms” (1623–1652). During the indicated period of time, the Cypriots came to Russia at least 10 times. The first thing that catches your eye is the complete satisfaction of the requests of all Cypriot petitioners, no matter how many they are and whoever they are.

Orthodox Cypriots came to Moscow for help from the St. Michael's Monastery (1627), from the monasteries of Archangels Michael and Gabriel (1629), St. Nicholas (1629), Hieromartyr Mamant (1631), the Archangel Monastery (1642, ). As a rule, they carried with them letters from the Patriarchs of Constantinople or Jerusalem, confirming the powers of the petitioners. In Moscow, during the patriarchal and royal audiences, they brought to their benefactors and patrons particles of the relics of one or more saints: the apostle and evangelist Luke, St. John the Merciful, the Apostle Barnabas, the holy unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, St. Epiphanius of Cyprus.

The Cypriots who came to the Moscow land did not limit themselves to meetings with the patriarch and the tsar, but on the way to Moscow they paid visits to prominent church figures. So, for example, during a three-week stay in Kiev in September 1642, the Cypriot Archbishop Parthenius, according to embassy documents, had a conversation with the Kiev Metropolitan Peter Mohyla, during which a wide range of church and socio-political issues were discussed.

Thus, the dissemination of oral stories about Cyprus was not limited to Moscow. A Greek charter of 1623 by the Cypriot priest Nicephorus, written by him in Yaroslavl, has been preserved. His namesake - Archimandrite Nikifor, apparently also from Cyprus, was a recluse of the Androniev Monastery, and visiting Greeks turned to him. The charter of Archbishop Christodoulos of Cyprus (1626) written in “Russian letters” may indicate the presence of a Russian person on the island at the beginning of the 17th century. . A Greek manuscript of 1629 from the Sophia collection of “Instructions from the Gospel” preserved a Greek entry made by a Cypriot hand: “The hand of Matthew the priest and protonotary of the holy archdiocese of Cyprus. And those who read and turn (to this book - A. A.) pray to the Lord for him. Finished on August 1, 1629 (Christmas - A. A.) Christ.”

In the 1620s-30s. in Moscow there was a legend "About the Cyprus Island". It is quite possible that this legend, created in embassy circles, has come down to us in fragments made by the scribes of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. In terms of content and composition, the legend “On the island of Cyprus and on the foot of the Cross of Christ” is divided into three parts. Common to all three parts is the scene - the island of Cyprus. The first part of the story is devoted to the defense of the fortress of Kyrenia from the Turkish invaders. The second part of the story tells about the Assumption Monastery and its shrine - the icon “Letter of Luke the Evangelist” with the image of the Mother of God on the throne with the Infant Christ. In the third part of the story, we are talking about the Monastery of the Cross. It tells about the emperor Justinian I, who contributed to the decoration with silver of the shrine of the monastery - the foot of the Cross of Christ.

In the second half of the 17th century, the miraculous icon of the Cypriot Mother of God was already widely known in Russia. So, for example, in the collection of Ioannikius Galatovsky “The New Heaven” (Lvov, 1665) it is said: “In the island of Cyprus there was a church of the Most Holy Theotokos, and in that church there was an image of the Most Holy Theotokos on the gate, who sat on the throne and held Christ like a child on on their knees, and two angels stood on either side. For a single day, passing by that church, one arapin shot the Most Holy Theotokos in the knee and at the same time blood came out of the shot wound and dripped to the ground, the arapin seeing that miracle turned angry and flowed away to his house, but before reaching the house he died on the road.

In the ancient Russian fine arts of the second half - the end of the 17th century. sometimes a plot of a miracle was presented with an impious Saracen shooting an arrow at an icon, for example, among the 40 hallmarks framing the icon of the Cypriot Mother of God, originating from the Yaroslavl church of John the Baptist in Tolchkovo.

Subsequently, lists from the Cypriot Icon of the Mother of God appeared in Russian churches, and at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. in Russia, several icons were known that were designated by the same name Cypriot, among them - the icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus in the village of Stromynya, Moscow province, the icon of the Cypriot Mother of God in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral, the icon of the Cypriot Mother of God in the Moscow Nikolo-Golutvinskaya Church, the Cypriot icon of God Mother “Kikkskaya” (who enjoyed great fame in Russia, as evidenced by her image by the leading Moscow icon painter of the second half of the 17th century, Simon Ushakov), kept in the Florishcheva Hermitage.

A contemporary of Simon Ushakov, Fyodor Evtikhiev Zubov, painted the icon of the Cypriot Mother of God “in a tray for the great sovereign” in 1678. Often in ancient Russian painting of the XVI-XVII centuries. saints revered in Cyprus were depicted. Noteworthy, for example, is the fresco “Theodotus of Cyrineus”, presented in the painting of 1684 of the Assumption Cathedral of the Holy Trinity-Sergius Monastery.

Concluding the review of the Cypriot influence on Russian church painting, it is also necessary to mention the reverse process that took place during the period under consideration. For example, a ten-year stay in Moscow at the end of the 17th century of the Cypriot hieromonk Leonty from Lefkosia (Nicosia) is known, who studied church painting here during this time, and returning to Cyprus, he began to teach this art and paint icons for many churches.

Cyprus and Russia in the first half of the 18th century

At the beginning of the 18th century, when Turkey's relations with European powers, including Russia, began to be streamlined, Russian Christians again had the opportunity to visit Cyprus on their way to the Holy Land. Notes about Cyprus contained in the essay “Pelgrimation or Traveler of the Honest Hieromonk Hippolytus of Vishensky to the Holy City of Jerusalem” (1708) date back to this time.

Ippolit Vishensky, a resident of the Borisoglebsky monastery in the Chernigov diocese, went east from Nizhyn through Kiev, Iasi, Bucharest, Adrianople to Constantinople, from where by sea, visiting Cyprus, on April 9, 1708 sailed to Jaffa. “We went a lot from Mirlikia by sea, a hundred and fifty miles to the island of Cyprus, where Saint Lazarus was after the Resurrection of Christ and after his resurrection a bishop for 30 years, and there is his coffin near Cyprus, and his relics were taken from their land by the Frengi,” - so Ippolit Vishensky describes his route to Cyprus, but at the same time admits one inaccuracy. So, if by “frengs” we mean the French (Catholics), then it should be borne in mind that the relics of St. Lazarus were transferred in 890 by order of Emperor Leo VI the Wise from Larnaca to Constantinople. According to the latest data, only a part of the relics was sent to Constantinople, and the relics themselves were buried in a sarcophagus. Then a church was built on this site, and the sarcophagus was discovered during excavations only in 1973.

Otherwise, the description of Ippolit Vishensky corresponds to historical reality, and he provides important information about the number of Orthodox monasteries that existed on the island at that time: where is the tomb of St. Lazarus and the miraculous lake outside the city; another city of Cyprus (Lefkosia, Nicosia), there is a pasha and a metropolitan, and there is a miraculous image of the Most Holy Theotokos, his own saint Luke wrote the evangelist. There are 24 monasteries in that island, and there are more than a hundred empty monasteries, only a place of nobility.”

As you know, the 5th century was marked by the struggle of the Cypriot Church for its autocephalous rights. Based on its apostolic origin and on local traditions, based on the 6th canon of the First Ecumenical Council (“similarly in Antioch and in other areas, so that the advantages of the Churches are preserved”), the Cypriot Church recognized itself as autocephalous, with the right to elect local bishops at the council of the primate of the Church from his midst. Emperor Zenon, in turn, issued a charter, which forbade the Patriarch of Antioch to interfere in the affairs of the Cypriot Church. The bishop of Constantius was appointed archbishop of the whole island with the right to wear a red mantle during worship, to hold a scepter instead of a pastor's baton, to sign in red ink, to be titled - by the right of an autocephalous primate - "Blessed" and "most blessed".

The preservation of these historical traditions was testified as an eyewitness by Ippolit Vishensky, who reported in his notes that in Cyprus “there are three metropolitans, and the fourth above them is the eldest, there is an archbishop, and bishops, archimandrites and abbesses, and there are not a single patriarch rule over themselves." “And when Metropolitan Senior writes a letter to someone, he writes in a red letter: they have such behavior for themselves.”

Ippolit Vishensky reported on his visit to some Cypriot shrines: A. A.) churches, and they created: and his tomb is carved from stone<…>There, near that Cypriot island in another village, is the tomb of St. Spyridon.

But the stay of Ippolit Vishensky in Cyprus was not limited to attending divine services and exploring the island. On the eve of his departure from Cyprus, he had the opportunity to communicate with one of the Orthodox Cypriot hierarchs: A. A.) not far from another village, in the church of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos, and then the bishop served the service of God, and after the liturgy he asked us for a meal, and they ate with him, and he was eager to see us, because there few of our people come in ” . This ends the story of Ippolit Vishensky about Cyprus and, as he himself writes further, “at that time they went far away, and came against the city of Viruta (Beirut - A. A.)” .

The next written evidence of a visit to Cyprus is “Travel of a townsman Matvey Nechaev to Jerusalem (1719–1720)”. It should be noted that this dating is not accurate enough, since Nechaev himself wrote that he began his pilgrimage “of the summer from the Incarnation of the Word of God in 1721 July on the 16th day.” Nevertheless, this is another message in which there is some information confirming and clarifying the messages of Matvey Nechaev's predecessors. This pilgrim, having visited the island of Rhodes on his way, arrived in Cyprus “and as a pilgrim abie near the island of Cyprus, under the place where the monastery is, it was laid out in it, after his repose, Lazarus, friend of God, - and at anchor, until coast of a verst for 2<…>And standing in that monastery for 10 days, waiting for the ship to the city of Jaffa. In that monastery, in the church, under the holy meal, the honest relics of St. Lazarus, the friend of God, were laid, and from there they were transferred to Constantinople, the city, a place to know to this day.

Matvey Nechaev spoke about some of the difficulties that he experienced while staying on the island, where local Christians constantly felt the oppression of heterodox rulers. His notes also mention one Russian “unwritten” pilgrim who visited Cyprus on his way to the Holy Land at about the same time as Ippolit Vishensky (1708). “Then a monk came from Jerusalem by order of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, for the sake of collecting the treasury from the churches to the Holy Sepulcher and told that about us,” continues Matvey Nechaev. - He called us, and forbid the hegumen of the monastery about us, so that the Turks would not know about us, or others; because de “about ten years ago, a de Russian person arrived; he de had Voloshenin in his service (a native of Wallachia - A. A.) and by the teaching of the devil they broke up with each other; then, not being afraid of God, Voloshenin denounced the Russian man to the Turks and said unsimilar words to him, and that de from here he was going to Jerusalem; and they, the Turks, put a Russian man in a fortress; sat under guard for a year, and at our request in Tsaregrad, having then kissed Mikhail Borisovich Sheremetyev, having taken a letter from the vizier, by the Sultan's command they returned that Russian man to Tsargrad. And we are terribly afraid of that, and we live in that monastery with great fear and doubt day and night ... ".

The dangers that Matvey Nechaev faced during his stay on the island did not allow him to visit other Cypriot shrines: he was forced to leave Cyprus at the first opportunity and go to Jaffa: , along with the Greeks, who had joined us, in their ship, with the help of God, entered without harm, protected by God's help and there we were taken away from Cyprus, the wind blowing safely over us ... ".

The period under consideration is characterized by the absence of hostilities between Russia and Turkey, which contributed to the growth in the number of Russian pilgrims to the Holy Land. Therefore, there is nothing surprising in the fact that the next written source, containing a mention of a visit to Cyprus, dates from almost the same time as Matvey Nechaev's "Walking". This is “Description of the journey of Hieromonk of the Rykhlovsky Nikolaev Monastery Sylvester and Nikodim to Constantinople and Jerusalem in 1722.”

This description is less than half preserved and is interrupted by the mention of the sea route from Cyprus to Sidon. The second part of the manuscript was lost, apparently, as early as the 18th century. Both pilgrims were from among the brethren of the Rykhlovsky monastery of the Chernihiv diocese. “Having gone from Rhodes,” the “Description” says, “in a few days they came to the island of Cyprus, where St. Lazarus was a four-day bishop. We stood under this city for a day and a half, and we were in that city and walked wherever it was necessary. Boules in the church of St. Lazarus, in the name of him created, where his coffin is still there, and we all climbed at the coffin of Lazarus and there were signified to the coffin of St. Lazarus in the church on the right side behind the throne; and the name of that city is Constantius (Larnaca). From there, going from the Cyprus Island<…>come to town<…>Sidon, which is remembered in the Gospel: “It will be gratifying for Tire and Sidon ...” .

Activity in Cyprus by V. G. Barsky (1726–1736)

One of the following “journeys” was the wanderings in the second quarter of the 18th century by Vasily Grigorievich Barsky (1701–1747). V. G. Barsky (Plaka-Albov), a native of Kyiv, spent most of his life traveling in the East, which lasted almost a quarter of a century (1723–1747). In March 1725, he entered the borders of the Ottoman Empire. He visited Thessalonica, Athos, Cyprus, went around almost all of Palestine.

Barsky's ancestors were residents of the city of Bar, which in the 19th century was a provincial town of the Podolsk province of the Mogilev district. The pilgrim called himself Barsky after the city of Bar, the place of residence of his ancestors, and Plaka or Albov is a translation into Greek and Latin of the name Belyaev.

V. G. Barsky happened to visit Cyprus three times: in 1726, 1727 and 1734-36. His first visit to the island was brief and almost accidental. “Having our ship a few souls to come to Cyprus, for this sake, forgiveness for their sake and taking new water, svratih from the path to the shore”, - this is how Barsky explains the reason for his first visit to Cyprus. On September 19, 1726, together with the Greek monks heading to Jerusalem, he set foot on the shore of the island. Together with his fellow travelers, Barsky “goes up to two to the Christian church, which is very simple from stone, but strong and old structure”.

Despite the short time of his stay on the island, Barsky in his notes outlined the information that he could draw from the messages of his predecessors, who primarily paid attention to the gospel Lazarus. “The island of Cyprus is very large: around the whole earth it has seven hundred and fifty miles and more than once (as it is narrated among the people), but it has three or four cities,” wrote V. G. Barsky. - In this island, St. Lazarus was a bishop, whom Jesus raised from the dead in Bethany. Then resign yourself as a secondary tamo; his own coffin is still there, the relics of God knows kamo.

Further, Barsky reported on the Kikko monastery, which was founded in the reign of the Byzantine emperor Alexei I Komnenos (1081–1118): “There is also a monastic cloister there, in which even the icon of the Blessed Lady of Our Lady of the Mother of God is kept, to the south the Evangelist Luke Ispis himself” . And indeed, a wonderful icon is still preserved in the Kykko monastery, which, according to legend, the founder of the monastery, the hermit Isaiah, brought from Constantinople at the end of the 11th century. But Barsky did not manage to visit this monastery on his first visit to Cyprus; this he did only during his second sojourn on the island. “Both, no one from us visited that one, having soon taken away the ship, besides, that place was set aside in the mountains far away, two days of walking, and could not do it at our request, only the travelers of Jerusalem gathered, having formed among themselves, mercy from penyads and sent in one high monastery”, - this is how Barsky ends his story about his first Cypriot impressions.

Being in Jerusalem in 1727, V. G. Barsky wanted to visit the Sinai and on April 17 set off by ship towards the mouth of the Nile - to Damietta. But the storm carried the ship to Cyprus: “Seeing the captain of the ship, as if the wind<…>let's go to the island of Cyprus, buying for the sake of bread and drawing water, so that the wind drives there." In these vicissitudes, Barsky saw the will of God and decided to stay in Cyprus for a long time in order to be able to bow to the Cypriot shrines. “Seeing az, like God there, even if you don’t want to, bring me, from there you will understand, as if looking for me, but I will pay tribute to the holy place that is found in Cyprus, I will give worship,” wrote Barsky.

On April 26, 1727, together with his companion, the Athos monk Dionysius, V. G. Barsky again descended to the Cypriot coast near Limassol: the essence is beautiful, it’s better from the plinths of the thieves, not scorched, built, but on a flat, cheerful and soft field, it stands with a breeze,” Barsky wrote about Limassol. Four days later he was already in Nicosia, where he had an audience with the head of the Cypriot Church, who was then Sylvester (1718–1731): her episcopal blessing, sent us away for a short stay to a hotel, at the church of St. Anthony, standing, sometimes even a monastery, now a secular church.

V. G. Barsky also managed to visit a number of temples and monasteries of Cyprus, located in various parts of the island; he visited the capital's church of St. Sophia, turned by the Turks into a mosque: “Most of all, the church of St. Sophia is still found, great and very beautiful, from a carved stone building, even from afar outside the city is seen,” Barsky wrote. “Now the Turks have turned it into their own mosque, where they pray when they gather, and there is no way for a Christian to go inside.” Barsky also gives important information about the number of churches that were in Nicosia in 1727: there is not a single Greek inside the monastery, but the French is one and the Armenian church is one.”

In the description of Larnaca, V. G. Barsky traditionally mentioned the episcopal ministry of St. Lazarus in this city and, in addition, noted the presence of non-Orthodox Christians here: “There is a single French church and a monastery of Frenchmen, Roman monks in Larnaca” . Barsky made a pilgrimage to the famous monastery of Kikko and described the miraculous icon that had been kept in the monastery church since ancient times: - Her writing is not seen, - everything is covered, except for the face, with a silver-plated shatoy. Miraculous from ancient times - even to Nina - glorified; before her, for every day, a prayerful canon is sung. Not only the Cypriot people, but also the neighboring distant strangers in great veneration have that icon.

Barsky was also able to visit the monastery of St. Mamant, which was separated from the Kykksky monastery “by a single day of walking”. Speaking about the monastery church of this monastery, Barsky noted that “the church is truly molded in everything, in it, on the right wall, stands the icon of the holy martyr Mamant and the coffin is marble, where the Nezians say that they are relics, the friends say that they are not, hedgehogs. there is more likely, because in the Turkish land the whole power of the present centuries can hardly be seen anywhere. Be aware of this, as if from his tomb the myrrh appears, they are smeared with orthodoxy, they receive healing with an ailment.

Before leaving Cyprus, Barsky visited the monastery of the Holy Cross, located on a high mountain. In his essay, Barsky repeats the information of his predecessors, who mentioned the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Elena, who visited these places on the way from Jerusalem, and then gives a brief description of the monastery: low in structure, but fair; they have two heads on top, but inside they are supported by six pillars, sometimes they are trinitarian, but only on the middle throne they serve liturgies; the cells in the monastery are few, only four or five, and they are close to the church in the creation of the essence.

After spending 3 days in this monastery, Barsky then boarded a French ship, intending to get on it to Alexandria, and on July 18, 1727, “shipped off the glorious island of sea Cyprus”. But the fate of Barsky was such that he happened to visit Cyprus for the third time, and this time turned out to be the most fruitful both for his study of Cypriot shrines and for the development of Russian-Cypriot church relations.

In September 1734, Barsky again went to Cyprus. The then Archbishop Philotheos of Cyprus, who lived in Nicosia, having learned about the arrival of Barsky and that he spoke Latin, persuaded him to stay for the winter in Cyprus to teach this language in an Orthodox Greek school. Barsky agreed thanks to these "benevolent words." Barsky's teaching lasted from October 1734 to April 1735. The disasters that befell Cyprus interrupted Barsky's studies. On Holy Week there was a strong earthquake, and soon this disaster was joined by a plague epidemic. The Cypriot archbishop Philotheus “left the throne”, retired to one of the distant monasteries, and V. G. Barsky, “dressed in hooded robes<…>izidokh from the city, named Leukos, and walking on foot between mountains and deserts, passing from the monastery to the monastery for the sake of sight and worship.

Having examined the Cypriot Orthodox monasteries, after the plague, Barsky again returned to Levkosia, where he lived until August 1736. But the war that arose between Turkey and Russia prompted him to hurry with his departure to the island of Patmos, where at that time only Greeks lived and there were no Turks.

At the time of V. G. Barsky, there were more than sixty active monasteries in Cyprus, in addition, many monasteries were deserted, as evidenced by the tireless pilgrim himself: monks are still being acquired, ”wrote Barsky, noting that “besides being quiet, many are empty and devastated, from heavy tributes and intolerable Turkish dirty tricks.”

Possessing the gift of an artist, Barsky tried to capture the monasteries he visited, about which he reported in his notes: I depicted twenty of the finest hand with my own hands. ” The scientific and historical significance of the "Cypriot cycle" of Barsky's wanderings is enormous. Today, when most of the Cypriot monasteries have ceased to exist, Barsky's descriptions and drawings are the only historical eyewitness evidence of these monasteries. Barsky's notes now attract the attention of not only domestic, but also Cypriot church historians, who have devoted a number of studies to his handwritten notes.

It should be briefly mentioned about the further fate of V. G. Barsky and his manuscript heritage. On September 5, 1747, Barsky returned to Kyiv and a month after his return to his homeland, he died without having time to completely put his notes in order. The great interest that Barsky's notes once aroused among Orthodox readers is evidenced by the fact that they were published six times before 1819; the first edition appeared in 1779. Moreover, long before their publication, Barsky's notes were widely distributed in handwritten form. In 1885–1887 The Orthodox Palestinian Society has published a 4-volume edition of Barsky's "Wanderings". This edition was made according to the original manuscript of Barsky, edited by N.P. Barsukov, a well-known Russian archaeographer, bibliographer and historian.

Cyprus and Russia in the late 18th - early 19th centuries.

After the hasty departure of V. G. Barsky from Cyprus in 1736 in connection with the beginning of Russian-Turkish hostilities, circumstances did not favor pilgrims from Russia to visit this island for a long time. Therefore, the following written evidence about Cyprus dates back to the time of the end of the next Russian-Turkish war and the conclusion of the Kuchuk-Kaynarji Treaty, according to which Russia received the right to appoint its consuls to certain points of the Ottoman Empire. So, in 1784, consuls were appointed to Alexandria, Albania, Saida, Cyprus, Chios, Samos, and then to Damascus, Beirut (1785) and Trabzon (1786).

One of the Russian researchers, M. G. Kokovtsev, who visited the Mediterranean in those years, wrote about Cyprus: “Nicosia is now the capital city, in which the local metropolitan has a residence, during the Crusades it was taken by the English King Richard (Richard in 1190 - A. A.) and then given into the possession of the French prince Gvilusignan (Guy Lusignan - A. A.), which descendants owned until the expulsion of Christians from Palestine. After that, the Venetians took possession of it, but the Turks, intensifying, took it from them. On the south side is another great city of Famagosti with a fair roadstead and a small pier. Now it is considered to be about one hundred thousand inhabitants of Mukhamedans and Greeks” .

But this is the testimony of a secular representative from Russia. And here is what Hieromonk Meletius from the Sarov Hermitage, who visited Cyprus in 1793, wrote about this island: In the morning, at sunrise, the storm and darkness began to subside, and the aforementioned island became visible. Passing through it on November 20, we had in mind the city of Paphos (Paphos) on the left, in which the holy Apostle Paul resisted the word of the Gospel of Elim the sorcerer (Acts 13:11), and who wanted to corrupt Anfipat Sergius from the faith, a punishment of blindness, not to see the sun until the time, but On the 21st day around noon we passed Lemes (Limassol)”.

Further, Hieromonk Meletios cites interesting information indicating that the history of Russian-Cypriot church relations is not limited to written evidence. “In this city (Paphos - A. A.) they told me, - Hieromonk Meletius wrote further, - of a certain Russian, the body in the coffin is preserved imperishably. He bowed to the holy places in Jerusalem and returned, and died here.

Hieromonk Meletios, like his predecessors, visited Larnaca and bowed to the tomb of St. Lazarus, noting that his relics were transported to Constantinople under Emperor Leo VI (886–912): “In the morning of the 22nd, with many passengers, I went ashore ( in Larnaca - A. A.) and with fellow believers went to worship in the church of St. Lazarus, Christ in Bethany resurrected him from the dead, - reported Hieromonk Meletios. - His coffin, which is revered by Christians, was made in the church inside the earth under the throne, in a cramped cave on the western side. They descend into it from the right side of the altar, by a narrow stone staircase. His relics are evidenced by the synaxarion on Saturday Vaii, that the wisest king Leo transferred them from there to Constantinograd and put them in the temple created in his name. Where they are now found is unknown.

If the messages of a number of Russian pilgrims were limited to mentioning Larnaca and Nicosia, then the records of Hieromonk Meletius contain valuable information about the pilgrimage to the famous Kikk monastery: to the miraculous image of the Most Holy Theotokos, to the Kikko Monastery,” wrote Hieromonk Meletius. On the way to Kykko, Hieromonk Meletius stopped to rest in Christian villages, which in those days of Turkish domination were not so common in the remote parts of the island. Describing one of them, hieromonk Meletius noted that the church, located in this village, “is of a new construction, is fair, and has a cross on its head. When I saw this Christian sign for the first time in Turkey in a church, I rejoiced. Not far from the sowing, in the ruins of an ancient church, in the altar eastern wall on a high place, an image of Christ the Savior was painted with good art. Overshadowing His hands are depicted with the fingers of IC XC. We came to spend the night in metoch (in the courtyard - A. A.) of the Kykksky monastery, where, as usual, they are received, treated and laid to rest. In the morning they went to church for morning singing, and on it they listened to the holy liturgy without spending<…>The church is wooden, standing in the middle of the courtyard of the Archangel Michael.

The path of Hieromonk Meletios and his companions was long: “Toward evening we arrived at another Kykkian metoch of Sts. Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus,” continued Hieromonk Meletios. - This courtyard is located near the sea<…>The church here is also wooden, but much smaller than the Arkhangelsk one.

The path from the Cypriot coast to Kykko, founded in the depths of a mountain range, was difficult, and this pilgrimage took more than one day, as can be seen from the message of Hieromonk Meletios: and, having traveled a certain distance, they climbed mountains covered with forest and mottled greenery. On this way we passed one Christian village, standing between the mountains in a dense forest with flowing waters.<…>About evening we came to the monastery, and were received in it kindly, they gave us a large living room for our stay.

Hieromonk Meletios paid attention to the description of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, which was kept in this ancient monastery: “The icon of the Most Holy Theotokos stands in the church (in Kykko) near the royal doors on the north side. By measure, it is similar to the Vladimir one, which is found in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral. Image of her: Jesus Christ, like a baby, sits at the Mother of God on her left hand, bowing down for Her right hand, with which She, embracing Him from behind, above the hand of the composition, holds His right hand, holding a scroll written in Greek words (Isaiah 61: 1): The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for the sake of anointing me, to preach and others."

Hieromonk Meletius already knew the image of this miraculous icon, which is usually hidden from the eyes of pilgrims. “I took this description from a copy,” Hieromonk Meletius noted in his notes, “the very original is overlaid with a silver robe and covered from top to bottom with a veil, which, when kissing the Icon, is one, just the corner from the bottom opens. Sowing the holy icon, an exact image is found in the Florishcheva Hermitage in the cathedral church.

In the notes of Hieromonk Meletios, a legend about the icon of the Kykk Mother of God is set forth, which was not previously found in other authors. Noting that this miraculous image is one of the three icons painted by the holy apostle and evangelist Luke, Hieromonk Meletius writes further that this icon “was brought to the place of Kikko from the royal chambers, in the years of the Greek autocrat Alexei Komnenos. The daughter of this sovereign, a virgin named Anna, in a serious illness, praying to the Most Holy Theotokos for her healing, was notified that she would receive health if her icon, which was in their royal chambers, would be taken to Cyprus to the place of Kikko in the monastery. Having heard about this, the king, the father of the sick girl, immediately through the eparch of Cyprus with great honor sends that icon to the place shown ... ".

It is known that the Greek Cypriots were persecuted by the Turks during the Turkish rule in Cyprus, but, as Hieromonk Meletios testified, the Turks made an exception for the Kikko monastery for the sake of the revered icon of the Mother of God: “This monastery (Kikko - A. A.) for the sake of the guardian of his Blessed Virgin Mary, the Turks themselves have respect, - Meletius noted. - They call Her icon Buyuk Panagia, which means from the first Turkish, the second Greek words “Great All-Holy”. Taxes and tributes are less demanded of him than other monasteries. However, both the monastery and the most Mother of God icon among the Greeks are called Panagia Kikko, according to the trees growing here, kikos called".

Hieromonk Meletius also visited another Cypriot monastery - the monastery of St. Mamas, having gone there from Kykko. He wrote a brief description of the monastery church: “The Church of the Holy Martyr Mamant, in its proportion in everything, is fairly and contented in space. Its top is fixed on ten pillars, and Christians do not have a church similar to it in all of Cyprus. It was built, as you can hear, during the possession of Cyprus by the Venetians.

Hieromonk Meletios also visited Nicosia, where the results of Turkish domination over the population of the island were clearly manifested: “Levkosia or Nicosia, the city on the island of Cyprus is the first,” he wrote. - The Turkish pasha, who governs all of Cyprus, and the Greek archbishop, who, according to ancient law, in no way dependent on the patriarch, are himself the supreme judge of the Cypriot Christians<…>The best and most magnificent building in it is the ancient Christian church of Holy Wisdom (Sofia - A. A.), which was turned into a mosque by the Turks” .

Hieromonk Meletius noted that the Greek population of the island outnumbered the Turkish community and other minorities: “The inhabitants of it (Cyprus - A. A.) the inhabitants are of three clans: Turks, Greeks and Armenians, the number of Greeks is greater, but the Armenians are in small numbers, just in Nicosia. And it is no coincidence that the inhabitants of the island saw in the person of Hieromonk Meletios the representative of a powerful Orthodox state, to which at that time many Orthodox peoples under the yoke of Turkish rule turned their gaze. “While passing through Cyprus,” Hieromonk Meletius wrote, “some asked me: when will Empress Catherine come here to save us, like the Crimea, from enslavement?” .

In this regard, it can be noted that at that time the Kikko monastery had its own possessions in Russia. In another Cypriot monastery - Maheira, in the second half of the 18th century, during the service, they read a prayer "for our great lady, Russian Empress Catherine and her royal house." Obviously, this prayer was a kind of appeal of the Cypriots for help in their liberation struggle.

At the beginning of the 19th century, there were still unfavorable conditions in Cyprus for those Russian pilgrims who visited this island. This can be seen from the “Travel notes of the Kaluga province of the noblemen Veshnyakovs and the Medyn merchant Novikov”, who visited Cyprus on their way to Palestine at the end of 1804.

These pilgrims reached Cyprus in the Paphos region: “On the 22nd of December (1804 - A. A.) The sailors who first saw the ground from the mast shouted: Kypros! Cypros! For several hours we approached Paphos<…>lying on a low coast ... ".

Coming ashore in the more convenient harbor of Larnaca, called the Venetian Pier, the pilgrims met here the Archbishop of Sinai Constantine, who arrived in Cyprus from Jerusalem, “who had previously been the archimandrite of the monastery of St. according to ancient tradition, in Jerusalem at the Holy Sepulcher to the Archbishop of Sinai, and who, on his way to Egypt, was forced to delay in Larnaca due to a contrary wind. He learned that the Russians who had taken a trip to Palestine were on the ship, and wanted to see them.<…>He received me very affectionately, - the author of the notes narrates further, - and talked to me about various matters in Russian, in which he is very knowledgeable.

The author of the story gives in his essay a number of interesting details about the daily life and traditions of the Cypriot Orthodox Christians. He writes, for example, that “in Turkey, Christians do not observe a three-year probation when they are ordained to monasticism; the one who wishes only announces who he should, fasts for one week, confesses, partakes of the Holy Mysteries, and then is tonsured; if he wishes to be a hieromonk<…>then it is done without hindrance, and with the letter given to him by the consecrating despot, that is, the bishop, he has the right to move from monastery to monastery, or live in cities and villages, practice any trades<…>In almost every monastery, besides hieromonks, there are archimandrites or bishops, some also live in the houses of the laity.

The author of the notes was aware that many features in the life of the Cypriot clergy were due to the difficult conditions generated by Turkish oppression, about which he writes further: “A bishop, even the patriarch himself, cannot be distinguished from a simple monk when they are not in vestments; insignia are prohibited, as is the wearing of a hood over a kamilavka. And so everyone, without exception, wears only ordinary monastic clothes. ” Nevertheless, the author noted with satisfaction the vitality of the Cypriot Orthodox Church, the best representatives of which were able to resist heterodox influence, relying on monasteries as a stronghold of Orthodoxy: they take care of cattle breeding and beekeeping; this is the main providence, which provides them with maintenance and a means to pay taxes to the government and diocesan bishops.

But Turkish domination in Cyprus was a reality that Russian pilgrims had to reckon with, and they were forced to abandon their trip to the Kikk monastery: “Our Christian companions and we wanted to bow to the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, located in the Kikko monastery, 8 hours away from Larnaca move; but in this we were prevented by the indignation produced by the Pasha of Levkosia, ”the author of the story reported with regret, who, together with his companions, soon after left Larnaca for Palestine.

Cyprus and Russia in the 19th century

In 1835, Avram Semyonovich Norov (1795–1869) undertook his first journey to the East. Member of the Patriotic War, he left military service in 1823; in 1854 he was appointed minister of public education. He was a full member of the Academy of Sciences in the department of the Russian language and literature. About Norov's book "Journey to the Seven Churches Mentioned in the Apocalypse", Chernyshevsky said that it "is as distinguished by the merits of presentation as by its scholarly merits".

A. S. Norov suggested that Atlantis could not be in the Atlantic Ocean, but was in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, occupying the space between Cyprus, Sicily and Lesbos, and that the island of Cyprus is the remnant of the sunken Atlantis. “This island once filled almost the entire space now occupied by the sea between Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt, and extended to the west to Tirrenia,” wrote A. S. Norov.

A. S. Norov had the opportunity to visit Cyprus during his return from the Holy Land, when, having sailed from Beirut, he reached the Cypriot coast near Limassol by ship. But at that time, a plague epidemic broke out in the city, and therefore the pilgrims did not go ashore. However, A. S. Norov in his essay devoted space to the description of the Cypriot shrines associated with the names of the Apostle Barnabas and St. John the Merciful.

The Apostle Barnabas was the first bishop in Cyprus, where he received the crown of martyrdom. During the reign of Emperor Zeno, the incorruptible body of Saint Barnabas was found with the Gospel of Saint Matthew, written by Barnabas' own hand, which lay on his chest. The Christians of Limassol especially honor the memory of St. John the Merciful, who was born here from wealthy parents. Having lost his wife and children, he devoted himself to solitude and service to the poor and mournful; he called them his masters and used all his wealth to support and comfort them. Having been called to the patriarchal throne of Alexandria, he became a benefactor not only to the poor, but also to the churches of the entire East. During the Persian invasion, he helped the Bishop of Jerusalem Modest to restore the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and other holy places in Palestine. John Moskh and Sofroniy were his disciples. Feeling his death, he ordered to be transported to Limassol, where he reposed. The relics of St. John were transferred to Constantinople, then given as a gift to Matthias, King of Hungary, and are now kept in the Cathedral of Pressburg.

Shortly after the departure of A. S. Norov from the Cypriot shores, the island was visited by Hieromonk Anikita (prince S. A. Shirinsky-Shikhmatov in the world). While still serving in the Naval Corps in 1804–1827, he dreamed of traveling to holy places. Having received a long leave in 1820 to restore his disordered health, Prince Sergius undertook a journey through the Russian holy places in the dead of winter and visited Novgorod and Moscow monasteries and shrines. Having accepted monasticism in 1830 in the St. George's Monastery with the name of Anikita, in April 1834 he went on a pilgrimage to the East.

Like A. S. Norov, Hieromonk Anikita first saw Cyprus on his way to the Holy Land, but the plague epidemic still raged on the island, and there was no question of landing on the shore. “Sailing from Rhodes,” wrote Hieromonk Anikita, “we set sail, and because of the calm, with quiet fair winds, we reached Cyprus no earlier than on the 28th (August 1835 - A. A.) around noon, and having approached the pier of Lipael, they brought the Cypriot merchant who was with us with his son and goods to quarantine, without communicating with any of the inhabitants, because the plague still continued in places on the island. On the same date, they set off from Cyprus to Jaffa ... ".

On the way back from Jerusalem to his homeland, in April 1836, in Jaffa, Father Anikita unexpectedly received a decree from the Synod appointing him to Athens to the staff of the church of the Russian embassy. Having gone to the place of his new destination, hieromonk Anikita, by the will of fate, found himself again in Cyprus. “From the 11th to the 12th (April 1836 - A. A.) in the evening the wind became very strong and developed great excitement. Having lasted a day under sail, due to the impossibility of continuing their navigation safely, they went down to the island of Cyprus and at 5 o'clock in the evening anchored in the roadstead of the port of Larnaco. - Hieromonk Anikita noted in his notes.

Here, hieromonk Anikita hurried to the church of St. Lazarus "to venerate part of the holy relics and his holy tomb, which is under the holy meal." Hieromonk Anikita's ill condition was the cause of the accident that happened to him while visiting this temple.

“Not knowing the location, I rushed, a sinner, entered the altar, to worship and kiss the holy meal (throne - A. A.), and (so) as this place was not illuminated, and most of all, by the permission of God, it fell from the expense into the vestibule, which enters the very coffin with a ladder down many steps, ”wrote hieromonk Anikita about his unsuccessful attempt.

Having recovered from the shock, he made a second attempt, which turned out to be more successful: and after bowing and kissing the coffin of the righteous man, he went to the consul in the Marine part in Larnako,” Hieromonk Anikita noted, adding that the very next day, April 18, his ship left the Cypriot shores and headed for Greece. But his activity in the capital of Greece was short-lived. On June 7, 1837, Anikita's father died in Athens. His ashes were transported to Athos and buried in the Ilyinsky Skete.

In 1849, the Russian poet and critic P. A. Vyazemsky (1792–1878) visited Cyprus. In June 1849, from his estate near Moscow in the village of Ostafievo, he undertook a journey to the East. He lived for several months in Constantinople, visited Asia Minor and was honored to bow in Jerusalem to the Holy Life-Giving Sepulcher of the Savior. To Cyprus, P. A. Vyazemsky, like many other Russian pilgrims, sailed from Rhodes. “On the island of Cyprus, the city of Larnaca; we were received very cordially by both the clergy and secular residents, probably also because we were on a steamer from Smyrna with a Cypriot resident who introduced us to his compatriots, ”recalled P. A. Vyazemsky. “A special note contains the names of all the people with whom we, within three or four hours, met and became friends.”

Cyprus in those years was still under Turkish rule, and although the Christian Cypriots managed to preserve their religion, culture and traditions under those difficult conditions, they were still largely limited in their daily lives. Here is what P. A. Vyazemsky wrote about one of these problems: “The clergy of the monastery of St. Lazarus, who, after his resurrection, lived and died on the island of Cyprus, submitted a note to me asking for permission to ring the bell. At my entrance to the monastery, they rang the bell, but they asked me, just in case the Turkish authorities would exact a violation of the general decree for this, to say that I brought this bell as a gift to the monastery, and we made one experiment.

During these years in Russia Orthodox Christians were still widely acquainted with the works of Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus; new translations into Russian of his sermons appeared in the church press: “Word on the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ”, Word on the week of Vay, Word on the Holy Resurrection of Christ, Word against the Sabellians, “Exposition of the Catholic Faith, - from the third book“ Against Heresies ” » , Word on Great Saturday . Since 1863, the publication of the Works of St. Epiphanius of Cyprus in Russian translation began at the Moscow Theological Academy, and in 1884 the 6th part of his works was published.

Domestic historians in those years devoted their research to the history of Christianity in Cyprus. So, in the journal "Spiritual Reading" for 1866, an article by Abbot Arseny "Greek Uniates of the island of Cyprus in the 13th-16th centuries" was published. . But special attention was paid to the history of Orthodoxy on this long-suffering island. Translations were carried out from the modern Greek language into Russian of those works that contained information about the Cypriot Church in the most difficult period of its history - the times of Turkish domination. So, in 1862, the priest Pyotr Sokolov translated from the modern Greek language the book “Christian martyrs who suffered in the East since the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks” (St. Petersburg, 1862). Among others, the lives of Christian Cypriot martyrs were set forth here, such as St. George of Ptolemaidia (born in Cyprus, suffered in 1752 in Ptolemaida (Acre)), the holy Great Martyr Polyodorus (born in Cyprus, in Leukosia, suffered in 1794 in new Ephesus) .

Russo-Turkish War 1877–78 opened before the peoples enslaved by the Turks, a real possibility of liberation from the Turkish yoke. One could count on the improvement of the situation of the Christians of Cyprus. The Turkish empire was on the verge of collapse, the aggravation of relations between England and Russia on this basis, the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and the desire of England to seize Egypt in order to exercise control over the shortest route to India - all this forced England to look for a stronghold in the eastern part of the Mediterranean seas. Emphasizing the great strategic importance of Cyprus, Lord Disraeli wrote to the Queen in May 1878 that, as a result of the acquisition of the island of Cyprus, “the power of England in the Mediterranean, as well as Her Majesty’s Indian Empire, will be greatly strengthened. Cyprus is the key to East Asia.”

Thus, fearing the strengthening of Russia in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, England in 1878 secretly agreed with Turkey on the “temporary” transfer of Cyprus to her control in exchange for a guarantee by England of the northeastern borders of Asiatic Turkey. With the end of the Turkish oppression, the Orthodox Christians of Cyprus experienced a significant improvement in their situation. The paths of Russian pilgrims to the Holy Land have also become safer. At the end of the 19th century, domestic researchers began an in-depth study of the history of the Cypriot Orthodox Church and its shrines.

In the autumn of 1895, the Russian scientist Ya. I. Smirnov visited Cyprus. There he carried out a detailed study of two ancient Cypriot mosaic images of the Mother of God. On September 15, 1895, Ya. I. Smirnov visited the village of Kiti near Larnaca and carried out a detailed photographic survey of the most ancient Christian mosaic of the island in the church of Panagia Angeloszdannoy (Panagia Angeloktistos).

As you know, the ancient name of Larnaca is Kition. But the ancient pilgrims say nothing about the existence of any miraculous image of the Mother of God in Larnaca. However, near Larnaca there is the village of Kiti, to which the name of ancient Kition passed, probably after some devastating ruin and desolation of the city, and in this village in the Church of the Mother of God, an ancient mosaic of the Blessed Virgin was preserved. The news of this mosaic image of the Mother of God is in the conciliar message of three Eastern patriarchs and 185 bishops who gathered in 836 in the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem to defend icon veneration against the iconoclastic policy of Emperor Theophilus.

Back in 1736, the Russian pilgrim V. G. Barsky testified that he saw “outside the city of Larna”, “in the village of Kita, the temple is lepot, which was the bishop’s throne before, there and the miraculous image of the Virgin, planted with stones from the musia, and from the arap there was no time struck, the blood is told. Starting to study this mosaic image, Ya. I. Smirnov talked with one of the Cypriot hieromonks in the Kanakaria monastery, and he gave him a number of valuable tips about the legends about this image.

Ya. I. Smirnov came to the conclusion that although the church of Panagia is of the Byzantine type of the 10th-11th centuries, it is, however, not older than the dominion of the Franks or the Lusignans (1192-1302), but “at the sight of the eastern part of the church from the outside, the exorbitantly small the dimensions of the apse, which do not at all correspond to the size of the church. This, according to Ya. I. Smirnov, is explained by the fact that the current church was built on a much older apse than itself. The reason for this was, of course, only the ancient mosaic that was preserved in its conch.

This ancient image of the Mother of God attracted the attention of Russian experts. Not content with sketchy photographs of this ancient monument, the Committee for the Guardianship of Russian Icon Painting ordered in 1907 the artist N.K. Kluge a watercolor copy of this mosaic. N. K. Kluge worked in the Kitian church in the autumn of 1907. In addition to photographic and watercolor reproduction of the apse mosaic, he also made architectural drawings of the building and transferred all the materials to the Russian Archaeological Institute in Constantinople.

On the basis of these materials, another domestic researcher, F. I. Schmit, conducted a detailed study of this mosaic image of the Mother of God, using the latest scientific data for his time, as a result of which he was able to conclude that “the most probable, according to general historical considerations, the date of construction Kitian church - the second half of the 9th century.

The description of the Kitian mosaic was paid great attention to by the largest specialist in the field of church art - N.P. Kondakov, who dated it to the middle of the 7th century.

Returning to the scientific activity of Ya. I. Smirnov in Cyprus, it is necessary to mention another discovery of the Russian researcher. On September 12–13, 1895, he conducted research in the church of Panagia Kanakaria and here discovered another, even more ancient mosaic, which he dated to the end of the 5th - beginning of the 6th century.

The second Cypriot mosaic found by Ya. I. Smirnov is located in the church of Panagia Kanakaria on the Karpasian peninsula of Cyprus in its northeastern part. This church, like the Kitian one, is now a restructuring of a large ancient temple, which had a wide apse with a mosaic monumental image of the Mother of God, sitting on a throne with the Christ child on her knees.

Russian and Cypriot Orthodox Churches in modern times

The next episode in the history of Russian-Cypriot church relations dates back to the very beginning of the 20th century, when the so-called “Cypriot church question” arose. This problem arose after the death in 1900 of Archbishop Sophronius of Cyprus and another Metropolitan of Cyprus. A struggle broke out on the island between the supporters of the two remaining metropolitans. The intervention of the Patriarch of Constantinople, who appointed Metropolitan Kirill of Kyrenia as Archbishop of Cyprus, failed to resolve the problems. In an effort to get out of this situation, the Patriarchate of Constantinople turned to the Russian Orthodox Church with a request to recognize the appointed Metropolitan Kirill as canonical. But the representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, not wanting to worsen Russian-Cypriot church relations, refrained from interfering in the internal affairs of the Cypriot Orthodox Church, thus showing proper wisdom and understanding of the canonical position of this ancient Church.

The crisis was resolved only after the consent of the Patriarch of Constantinople to the resignation of Cyril, who never took up the archiepiscopal duties of Kyrenia, and to the election, through the mediation of Patriarch Photius of Alexandria, as Archbishop of New Justiniana and all Cyprus, Cyril, Metropolitan of Kition.

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, Russian Orthodox Christians sent generous donations to Cyprus, and especially to the well-known Kikko monastery in Russia. Valuable lampadas, chandeliers, candlesticks, liturgical gospels, miters, vessels and other Russian-made ecclesiastical items stored in the monastery serve as evidence of close ties with the Kikko monastery. On one bell you can read the inscription: “To the monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos, called Kikko, on the island of Cyprus, by the diligence of Russian Orthodox and the diligence of a resident of Moscow, Ekaterina Obramova, in the workshop of Bogdanov. 80 poods”. In another Cypriot monastery - Mahera, many different church items from Russia are also kept.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Russian church historians continued to study the life of Orthodoxy in Cyprus; among a number of publications devoted to this topic, one can note the work of I. I. Sokolov “The Cypriot Orthodox Church” (St. Petersburg, 1909) . After the outbreak of World War I, Russian-Cypriot church ties were interrupted. In the next few decades, the Cypriot Orthodox Church experienced hard times. The English administration of the island in every possible way prevented the consecration of new bishops and the replacement of the vacant sees. Thus, for 14 years (1933-1947) Paphos Metropolitan Leonty was the only Orthodox bishop in Cyprus.

In the summer of 1942, there was a real threat of the Germans seizing the island, who were hatching plans for a breakthrough to the Middle East. However, the defeat of the German troops on the Volga at the beginning of 1943 frustrated these plans, and therefore the German plan to capture Cyprus was not realized.

In the years after the Second World War, Russian-Cypriot church ties began to gradually resume. Joint participation in pan-Orthodox meetings, in the work of the World Council of Churches led to the establishment of contacts between representatives of the Cypriot and Russian Orthodox Churches. Thus, at the celebrations in honor of the 50th anniversary of the hierarchal service of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I of Moscow and All Rus', among others, a delegation from the Cypriot Orthodox Church arrived in Moscow.

Over the past decade, ties between the Russian and Cypriot Orthodox Churches have continued to grow stronger. In December 1976, at the invitation of Archbishop Macarius of Cyprus, a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church headed by Metropolitan of Tula and Belevsky (now Krutitsky and Kolomna) Yuvenaly made a trip to Cyprus.

In 1977, the Cypriot Orthodox Church suffered a heavy loss: on August 3, its primate, Archbishop Macarius, died. On August 4, a delegation consisting of Metropolitan Philaret of Berlin and Central Europe (now Minsk and Belarus) and Archbishop Pitirim of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, left for Cyprus to attend the funeral of His Beatitude Archbishop Macarius.

From May 9 to May 15, 1978, His Holiness Pimen, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', at the head of a delegation, visited the Cypriot Orthodox Church. The delegation visited the ancient Cypriot monasteries of Kikko and Mahera. His Holiness Patriarch Pimen celebrated the litia at the grave of the deceased primate of the Cypriot Orthodox Church, Archbishop Macarius, and laid a wreath on his grave.

From May 22 to June 7, 1978, a delegation of the Cypriot Orthodox Church headed by the newly elected Archbishop of New Justiniana and all Cyprus, His Beatitude Chrysostom, was in our country. From May 25 to May 29, the delegation took part in the celebrations of the Russian Orthodox Church dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the restoration of the patriarchate in Russia.

Relations between the two Churches are also developing at the youth level. In the spring of 1982, a delegation of Orthodox youth from the Middle East visited our country, which included Cypriot Orthodox Christians. In November 1983, a youth delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church visited Cyprus on a return visit at the invitation of the youth department of the Near East Council of Churches and had a meeting with His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostom.

In June 1988 a delegation of the Cypriot Orthodox Church headed by Archbishop Chrysostomos visited our country to take part in the celebrations marking the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'.

In January 1989, about two hundred pages of archival materials were handed over to our country, telling about the history of relations between the peoples of Russia and Cyprus. Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Justice and Minister to the President of the Republic of Cyprus Christodoulos Chrysanthou highly appreciated the then level of Soviet-Cypriot relations, in particular, in the field of culture. The transfer of archives took place in response to a similar move by the Soviet Union, which provided Cyprus in 1988 with a number of valuable historical documents on relations between Russia and Cyprus.

In October 1990, the All-Union Festival of Greek Culture and Art was held in Moscow, in which not only Greeks who lived in our country, but also guests from Cyprus and Greece took part. M. Gorbachev's greeting addressed to the participants of the festival, in particular, said: “More than one generation in our country was brought up on the spiritual values ​​of the Hellenes. With the adoption of Christianity, Byzantine culture influenced the life of our peoples for centuries. The Greeks who had long lived in Russia were in the forefront of the fighters for the liberation of Greece from the foreign yoke. Many Greek names will forever remain in our common history. In light of this, I wish the full success of your festival, which is held with such a representative participation of Greeks from abroad. I also hope that it will serve to strengthen the good relations of the USSR with Greece, Cyprus and the entire Greek diaspora.

A significant contribution to the development of Russian-Cypriot relations was the visit to Moscow on October 27-31, 1991 by the President of the Republic of Cyprus. During the visit, negotiations were held with Russian President BN Yeltsin, contacts were made with the leadership of the Krasnodar Territory, where a large number of ethnic Greeks have long lived.

Since the early 1990s Russian-Cypriot relations, both interchurch and interstate, began to develop intensively. The main events in this area can be presented in chronological order.

On April 7, 1992, the Republic of Cyprus recognized Russia as the successor and successor of the USSR, with which it maintained diplomatic relations since August 1960.

On October 15, 1992, the President of the Republic of Cyprus paid a working visit to Russia. A Memorandum on the principles of economic cooperation was signed, as well as an intergovernmental Agreement on cooperation in the development of the Black Sea region of Russia (Krasnodar Territory).

In June 1994, a delegation of the Cypriot Parliament headed by its chairman visited Moscow. During the official visit to Cyprus on December 9–13, 1994, of a delegation of the State Duma headed by A.N. Chilingarov, direct contacts were established between the parliamentary group for relations with Cyprus and the friendship group with Russia formed in the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus.

Russian-Cypriot cultural ties are steadily developing. During a visit to Moscow in July 1994 by the Minister of Education and Culture of Cyprus, an Agreement on Cooperation between the Ministries of Culture of the two countries was signed.

On May 8–11, 1995, the then President of the Republic of Cyprus, G. Clerides, was in Moscow to participate in the celebrations on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Victory, and on July 11–14, 1998, as an honored guest of Moscow Mayor Yu. M. Luzhkov, at the opening World Youth Games; he was received by Russian President BN Yeltsin.

In September 1996, the Minister of Culture of Russia visited Cyprus. The Russian Center for Science and Culture operates in Nicosia. Agreements are being implemented between the broadcasting organizations of the two countries and news agencies.

On June 17–20, 1997, a delegation of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus headed by the Chairman of the Parliament, S. Kyprianou, visited Moscow. In September 1997, the mayor of Nicosia, L. Dimitriadis, took part in events dedicated to the 850th anniversary of Moscow; At the same time, the Protocol on Cooperation between the two capitals was signed.

In January and April 1998, Archbishop Sergius of Solnechnogorsk, head of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate, was in Cyprus.

In March 1998, an agreement on cooperation was signed in Moscow between ITAR-TASS and the Cyprus News Agency (KIPE). In May 1998, ITAR-TASS Director General VN Ignatenko was in Cyprus.

In the summer of 1998, three students of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and Seminary had the opportunity to get acquainted with the experience of the Orthodox upbringing of children in a parish summer camp on Fr. Cyprus at the invitation of the rector of one of the largest parishes in Cyprus - the Church of the Annunciation of the Mother of God in Nicosia - Protopresbyter George Antoniou.

The beginning of the third millennium was marked by the strengthening of ties between Russia and Cyprus in the church sphere. In May 2005, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, at a meeting with the President of Cyprus, expressed admiration for the firmness of the Cypriots in upholding Orthodox values. At this meeting, which took place in Moscow, Patriarch Alexy II announced that the President of Cyprus, Tassos Papadopoulos, would be awarded the 2005 Prize for Strengthening the Unity of Orthodox Peoples. “We have always bowed before the courage of the Cypriot people, who, despite the difficulties, have always stood firm in the struggle for their independence,” the Patriarch emphasized. He expressed empathy for the people of Cyprus due to the fact that the island is still divided, and many shrines remained in the occupied territory, many were sold at various auctions in Western countries.

“The pilgrims of our Church, on their way to the Holy Land, for many centuries stopped in Cyprus and worshiped its shrines,” the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church emphasized. In turn, the President of Cyprus expressed interest in strengthening relations between the Orthodox Churches of Russia and Cyprus, noting that these relations "come from the depths of centuries." The T. Papadopoulos Prize was presented in January 2006 in the hall of church cathedrals of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Saints Cyprian and Justina in Russia

In the summer of 2005, leaving Cyprus for the first time in 700 years, the relics of Saints Cyprian and Justina visited Russia. On August 17, 2005, a reliquary with the relics of the Holy Martyr Cyprian and the Martyr Justina was delivered by air from Cyprus to Moscow. At the Sheremetyevo International Airport, the delegation of the Cypriot Orthodox Church, headed by Metropolitan Neophyte of Morphia, was met by the Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Bishop Mark of Yegorievsk, and clergy of the Moscow Diocese.

Answering a question from Russian television, Vladyka Mark stressed the historical significance of bringing the Cypriot shrine to Russia. “For the first time in several centuries,” he said, “the Orthodox believers of Russia, in which Saints Cyprian and Justina have been deeply revered since ancient times, will be able to prayerfully venerate their venerable relics.”

“After the collapse of the communist ideology, a spiritual vacuum formed: some of our compatriots, cut off from the traditions of Orthodoxy, succumbed to the fascination with magic and the occult. The bringing of the Cypriot shrine to Russia is a very important event for the salvation of people who have fallen into the snares of totalitarian sects and occult forces. We invite all those who have strayed from the true path and are seeking the help and intercession of the Orthodox Church to resort these days to the help of the great saints of God, to whom the Lord Himself has given the power to cast out demons,” said Bishop Mark.

Metropolitan Neophyte, in turn, said that the relics of Saints Cyprian and Justina were brought to Cyprus from Syria in 1298. “As you know, Saint Cyprian, even during his lifetime, had the gift of healing people possessed by demonic forces. The Cypriot temple, in which the holy relics brought from Syria rested, has become one of the most famous places of worship for Christians,” said Bishop Neophyte.

The relics of Saints Cyprian and Justina left Cyprus for the first time in 700 years so that the Orthodox believers of another country could bow to them. “It is very important for us that we received this invitation from the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church - one of the affirmers, pillars of the Orthodox faith in the modern world. It is a great honor for us to accept this proposal,” Metropolitan Neofit emphasized.

Then a motorcade, led by an escort car, solemnly delivered the reliquary with the shrine to the Zachatievsky Stauropegial Convent. At the gates of the monastery, the relics were met by the vicar of the Moscow diocese, Archbishop of Istra Arseniy, the Representative of the Orthodox Church of Alexandria under the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', Bishop Athanasius of Kirinsky, a host of the clergy of the capital and numerous believers. More than a thousand people prayed for the all-night vigil celebrated by Archbishop Arseniy on the monastery square.

Popular shrines of Cyprus

During its centuries-old history, the island of Cyprus has experienced many peoples: Greeks, British, Turks. Each of them left its mark not only in the history, but also in the religion and culture of Cyprus. That is why there are so many shrines from different times on the island, many of which are still active.

Royal Stauropegial Kiki Monastery

The Kykkos Monastery is the main shrine of Cyprus, which appeared at the end of the 11th - beginning of the 12th century. The full name of the monastery is the Holy Royal and Stauropegial Monastery of the Kikk Icon of the Mother of God. It is believed that the monastery appeared thanks to the hermit Isaiah, who with prayers healed the daughter of Emperor Alexy I Comnenus, for which he was rewarded with the icon of the Mother of God, which was painted by the apostle and evangelist Luke. The emperor also gave funds for the construction of a monastery in the mountains, where this precious icon was supposed to be. Over time, the monastery of Kykkos became one of the richest in the entire Greek Orthodox world.

The inhabitants of the island and pilgrims for many centuries worshiped the icon of the Virgin and asked her for miracles. And today pilgrims come here to bow before this shrine and admire the wonderful mosaics and frescoes that adorn the interior of the monastery.

There is also a museum at the Kikk monastery, which houses a collection of manuscripts, icons and a part of the ancient iconostasis, which was made from tortoise shells and inlaid with mother-of-pearl.

In addition to the sacred icon, Kykkos Monastery is popular because in 1926 the future Archbishop Makarios III, the first President of the Republic of Cyprus (from 1960 to 1977), was a novice there. At his request, he was buried not far from this monastery, on the top of the Kykk mountain, called Troni.

Rock of Aphrodite (Petra tou Romiou)

Two Greek myths are connected with the rock of Aphrodite at once
Petra tou Romiou is a rock on the sea coast, located between Paphos and Limassol. Since ancient times, it was believed that it was here that the beauty, the goddess of love and fertility Aphrodite, was born. According to legend, Aphrodite emerged from the sea foam off the coast of Cyprus.
It is said that under certain weather conditions, the waves rise, creating a column of water, and breaking up, turns into a column of foam, in which one can notice the human form.

Church of Agios Lazaros, Larnaca (Church of Ayios Lazaros)

The church is named after the righteous Lazarus. According to the Gospel, Jesus resurrected Lazarus, after which he lived for another 30 years.
The Church of St. Lazarus was built in the 9th century to house the sarcophagus of Lazarus. In the 17th century, the monastery was reconstructed and to this day it is one of the most beautiful and the main attraction of Larnaca.

Near the altar of the church there are steps that lead down to where the sarcophagus of St. Lazarus is located. It is surprising that the bell tower of the church has been preserved since the 17th century, because until 1857, the Ottomans forbade such structures, they were afraid that the ringing of bells could become a signal for an uprising.

Ancient Kition, Larnaca (Ancient Kition)

Since ancient times, Kition has been the center of the copper trade, which was mined in the mines near Tomassas.
Kition is an ancient city whose ruins lie near the modern city of Larnaca. Kition was of great importance to the Cypriots. According to legend, Saint Lazarus himself was the bishop of ancient Larnaca for many years. Archaeologists have found many ancient Greek shrines here.

Bellapais Abbey Monastery

Bellapais Abbey is the most interesting attraction in Northern Cyprus. The monastery was founded around the 13th century near Kyrenia. Bellapais Abbey is located on a mountain cliff at a height of about 30 meters. This place offers a breathtaking view of the surroundings of the village of the same name. The Gothic monastery of Bellapais Abbey looks a little unusual: its roof is flat, and a bizarre belfry is located above the entrance.

Saint Nicholas cat's monastery

Saint Nicholas Monastery in Limassol is one of the most unusual monasteries on the island. The monastery is located in Limassol, at first glance it may seem that there are cats instead of nuns. According to legend, local cats are descendants of animals that the Byzantine Empress Saint Helena brought in the 4th century to reduce the population of snakes, which were very numerous during the drought. In general, the four-legged hunters fulfilled their mission perfectly well, because. their descendants now bask in the sun all day long.

Cathedral of Saint John, Nicosia (Ayios Ioannis)

St. John's Cathedral was founded in 1662 by Archbishop Nikiforos. Previously, this place was the chapel of the Benedictines. The Mamluks forced these people to leave the island, and since 1425 an Orthodox monastery has been located on the site of the chapel. This is the only church in Nicosia where wall paintings have been preserved to this day.

Monastery of Saint Barnabas

The monastery was founded in the 5th century next to the tomb of St. Barnabas, who was killed and buried here in 45 AD, when he, together with St. Paul, wanted to convert the locals to Christianity. Now there is a working chapel above the tomb of St. Barnabas, and the premises of the monastery are used for the museum of icons.

Sanctuary of Aphrodite in Paleopaphos (Sanctuary of Aphrodite)

In Daytime Greece, the city of Paleopaphos was a center of pilgrimage, thanks to the Sanctuary of the goddess Aphrodite. Until now, only the ruins of the columns have survived from the Sanctuary of Aphrodite, but despite this place attracts many tourists. If you want to touch the ancient Greek history, feel the energy of this place, be sure to visit the Sanctuary of Aphrodite in Paleopaphos.

Tombs of the Kings in Paphos

In the 4th-3rd century BC, nobility, which belonged to the monarchical family, was buried in the tombs. Presumably, it is here that the remains of King Ptolemy are stored.

Tombs of the Kings - is a whole complex of tombs carved directly into the rocks. Some tombs look like true works of art and look more like luxurious palaces than graves. Unfortunately, even before the start of research, the shrine was heavily plundered and not all of it has survived to this day.

Cyprus(Greek Κύπρος, Turkish Kıbrıs, eng. Cyprus) is the third largest and third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Geographically belongs to Asia. Cyprus is located in the eastern part of the Mediterranean at a distance of 380 km from Egypt, 105 km from Syria and 75 km from Turkey.

Orthodoxy in Cyprus

Orthodoxy in Cyprus- the dominant Christian denomination in the Republic of Cyprus.

The Cypriot Orthodox Church has the status of a quasi-state institution and plays a significant role in the socio-political life of the country; primate of the Cypriot Church - Archbishop of New Justiniana and all of Cyprus. In addition to the temples (more than 500), which are found in almost every village, the church has 9 monasteries in Cyprus, which own the significant and most fertile lands of the island, which have year-round artificial irrigation, and other large property. About 1% of the population belongs to the Old Calendar movement in Orthodoxy. The existing Autocephalous True Orthodox Church of Cyprus is headed by Metropolitan of Kitia and Exarch of All Cyprus Parthenios (Comanescu). There is a parish of the Russian Orthodox Church that intends to build its own church.

The Saints

• St. app. Paul
• St. app. Barnabas
• St. app. Mark
• St. rights. Lazarus
• St. equal to ap. Constantine the Great
• St. equal to ap. Elena
• St. St. Spiridon Trimifutskiy
• St. St. Epiphanius of Cyprus
• St. Rev. Neophyte the Recluse
• St. St. John the Merciful
• St. vmch. George the Victorious

shrines

The relics of saints and miraculous icons in Cyprus are kept in churches and monasteries of the Cypriot Orthodox Church.

• Fragment of the column near which they scourged St. app. Paul
• Catacombs of Saint Solomon
• Catacombs of Agios Lambrianos (Agios Lambrianos)
• Early Byzantine Christian basilica (4th century)

Cathedral of St. John the Theologian. Relics:

• mch. George of Ptolemais (XVIII century) (access to the relics is open only during the Liturgy).

Byzantine Museum:

• icon of the Mother of God "Faneromeni" ("Appeared").

S. MENIKO (14 km. West of Nicosia). Church of St. Cyprian. Relics and icon:

• mchch. Cyprian and Justina (4th century) (particles of relics),
• mch icon. Cyprian.

S. NISU (approx. 15 km. south of Nicosia). Church of St. Eutyches. Relics: :

• Rev. Eutyches (7th century) (tomb near the temple).

S. MALUNDA, near Nicosia. Temple of Panagia Chrysopantanassa:

• one of the martyrs Iliofoto (VII century) (chapter).

S. POLITICO (21 km southwest of Nicosia). Monastery of St. Herakleid. Relics and icon:

• svmch. Herakleidi Thomas (I - II centuries) (head and right hand; access to the relics is open only during the Liturgy),
• svmch icon. Herakledia.

S. KALO PANAYOTIS (approx. 40 km. West of Nicosia). Monastery of St. John Lampadista:

• Rev. John Lampadist (X - XI centuries) (chapter),
• icon of St. John Lampadist.

LARNACA. Cathedral of St. Lazarus. Relics and icons:

• St. Lazar the Four Days (part of the relics),
• Icon of the Mother of God "Hodegetria-Russian",
• Icon of the Mother of God "Fadeless Color",
• icon of St. Lazarus.

S. MOSFILOTI (20 km. West of Larnaca). Monastery of St. Thekla. Relics and icons:

• equal to ap. mts. Thekla (part of the relics),
• icon equal to ap. mts. Fekla.

S. Truly (about 10 km north of Larnaca). Mavrovouni Monastery:

S. KITI (about 10 km southwest of Larnaca). Temple of Panagia Angeloktissa:

• icon of the Mother of God "Angeloktissa" (in the altar),
• icon of Archangel Michael.

LIMASSOL. Church of St. Marina:

• wmc icon. Marina.

MONASTERY PANAGIA-SPHALANGIOTISSA (near Limassol):

• Icon of the Mother of God "Sphalangiotissa".

D. KELLIA, near Limassol. Monastery of Panagia Glossa:

• Icon of the Mother of God "Life-Giving Spring".

MONASTERY PANAGIA-AMIROU (near the village of Aksyu, northwest of Limassol):

• Icon of the Mother of God "Amir".

ALAMANU MONASTERY (19 km east of Limassol, near the village of Pendakomo):

• mch icon. George the Victorious.

SIMVULAS MONASTERY (approx. 10 km southwest of Limassol, near the British military base of Episkopi). Relics and icon:

• parts of the relics of local martyrs,
• vmch icon. George the Victorious.

AMASGO MONASTERY (18 km northwest of Limassol, near the village of Monagri):

• icon of the Mother of God "Monagritissa" ("Amasgu").

SKIT PREP. JOHN MONAGRITA (near Amasgu monastery):

• Rev. John Monagrit (chapter).

S. LANIA, near the village of Monagri. Temple of Panagia Chrysolanitissa:

• Icon of the Mother of God "Hodegetria-Valanasskaya".

MAHERAS MONASTERY (22 km northwest of Limassol, near the village of Pano Platres):

• icon of the Mother of God "Maheriotissa",
• icon of the Mother of God "It is worthy to eat" (in the chapel)

PANAGIA-TROODITISSA MONASTERY (10 km west of the village of Pano Platres):

• Icon of the Mother of God "Trooditissa"
• miraculous belt.

S. OMODOS (approx. 30 km. northwest of Limassol). Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Relics and shrines:

• app. Philip (head)
• The bonds of Christ
• a particle of the Holy Life-Giving Cross.

S. VASA, southwest of the village. Omodos. Church of the Annunciation. Relics:

• Rev. Barnabas of Cyprus (VII century).

MONASTERY PANAGIA-KYKKOS (approx. 80 km. southwest of Nicosia). Relics and icons:

• app. Barnabas,
• ev. Luke,
• St. Epiphanius of Cyprus,
• Rev. Kendey (7th century) and others (parts of relics),
• (covered with cover)
• Icon of the Mother of God "Joy and Consolation".

MONASTERY PANAGIA-CHRISOROYATISSA (45 km northeast of Paphos, near the village of Panagia):

• icon of the Mother of God "Chrysoroyatissa" (covered with a veil),
• icon of the Savior.

GEROSKIPOU (2 km southeast of Paphos). Church of St. Paraskeva:

• wmc icon. Paraskeva-Fridays.

D. EMPA, northwest of Paphos. Temple of Panagia Chryseleus (usually closed):

• Icon of the Mother of God "Chryseleus".

MONASTERY OF ST. NEOFITA ​​(9 km northwest of Paphos, near the village of Tala). Relics:

• Rev. Neophyte the Recluse (XII century).

temples

• Cathedral. St. app. John the Theologian (Nicosia)
• Church of St. rights. Lazarus (Larnaca)
• Temple of Angeloktisti (Kiti)
• Church of Our Lady Chrysoliniotissa (Nicosia)
• Church of Sts. Apostles (Pera Chorio)
• Church of St. George (Dali)
• Church of St. George (Agrin)
• Church of Sts. svmch. Cyprian and mts. Justina (Meniko)
• Shrine of Our Lady Ashinu (Nikitari)
• Church of the Archangel Michael (Vizakia)
• Church of the Transfiguration of Christ (Palechori)
• Church of Our Lady of Chrysopantanassa (Palechori)
• Church of St. prophet John the Baptist (Askas)
• Church of the Holy Cross of Agiasmati (near Platanistas)
• Church of St. St. Nicholas under the roof (Kakopetria)
• Church of Panagia Poditu (Galatea)
• Church of St. Rev. Sozomene (Galatea)
• Church of Sts. right Joachim and Anna (Kalian)
• Churches of the monastery of St. Rev. John Lampaditis
• Church of St. Rev. Andronika (Kalopanagiotis)
• Church of the Holy Mother of God (Mutulas)
• Church of the Archangel Michael (Pedulas)
• Church of the Holy Cross of the Lord (Pelendri)
• Church of St. mch. Mamasa (Louvre)
• Church of Panagia tou Araka (Lagoudera)
• Church of St. mts. Moors (Kelani)
• Church of St. vmts. Catherine (Kritu Tera)

Monasteries

The Cypriot Orthodox Church runs many monasteries located on the island of Cyprus. The list shows the most famous monasteries, distributed by metropolia:

Stauropegial monasteries

Monasteries of the Cypriot Archdiocese

Monasteries of the Metropolis of Paphos

Monasteries of the Metropolis of Kitia

Monasteries of Kyrenia Metropolis

Monasteries of the Metropolis of Limassol

Monasteries of the Metropolia of Morphus

Hodegetria icon

On the second icon, painted by Luke, the Mother of God holds her son on the left side. This image is called Hodegetria (Guide) - She leads a believer along the right spiritual path and helps in his earthly needs. Hodegetria is currently in the new monastery of Panagia Sumela in Macedonia, where she was transported from the old monastery of the same name, located near Trabzon (Black Sea coast of Turkey). Unfamiliar Türkiye and its secrets will tell about him.

Icon of the Merciful Mother of God of Kykkos

On the third icon, painted by the Apostle Luke, the baby is depicted by Luke on the right side, this image is called the Merciful Kykkos - it is he who is kept in the Kykkos monastery. A list of the icon on the territory of Russia can be seen in the Holy Merciful Bogoroditsky convent in Ryazan.

In the 11th century, the emperor of Byzantium Alexy Komnenos presented the icon to Cyprus. From the imperial treasury, financial resources were also allocated for the construction of the Kykkos monastery, which is why it is called Royal.

There are special rules in the monastery: you need to light your small candle from the large burning candle of the temple, and only then, with a small candle, set fire to a large non-burning one that you want to take home. After you have lit it, put it out and you can take it home.

2. Church of Panagia Asinu in the village of Nikitari

It was built in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary Forviotissa. The temple is located at a distance of 5 km from the village of Nikitari (Troodos region), not far from the Nicosia-Troodos highway, going through Vyzakia and Nikitari. The decorations of the church - frescoes and paintings - date back to the XII - XVII century.

The name of the temple was given in honor of the Greek city of Asine, known since the 11th century BC.

The church is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

When going to Panagia Asina, include two more temples in the pilgrimage route: the monastery of Ioann Lampadistis in Kalopanayiotis and the Church of the Archangel Michael in Pedoulas.

3. Church of Stavros tou Agiasmati

Her visit must be pre-arranged with the Keeper of the Key, which visitors usually bring to the temple. Arrangements can be made by calling 226 525 62 or 996 772 16. The church is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List thanks to the preserved frescoes dating back to the end of the 15th century.

The temple is located 3 km from the village of Platanistas. You should drive along the Nicosia-Astromeritis road, look for a left turn in front of the village of Peristerona (Orunta Kata Moni - Platanistas).

4. Trooditissa Monastery

He climbed into the mountains above all the temples, because he protects the thousand-year-old relics. The main Orthodox shrines of Trooditissa are the main icon of the monastery, framed by a silver frame, painted by the Apostle Luke, and the Belt of the Virgin (by the way, the Holy Belt of the Virgin is kept in the Vatoped monastery on Athos).

Women tend to the monastery, who for some reason cannot have children. Both shrines have miraculous power and are able to help the childless in the birth of such a desired baby. Unfortunately, the laity is not allowed into the monastery, but there are exceptions to every rule. Which ones, find out on our Troodos page.

5. Monastery of St. John Lampadista

The monastery is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The temple is located in the Troodos mountains, in the village of Kalopanayotis. The history of the monastery began in pre-Christian times. Once in this place, near the mineral springs, there was a temple of Asclepius (Aesculapius) - the healer god. In the fourth century, the pagan temple of Asclepius was demolished and the first Christian monastery in Cyprus was built in its place.

It was erected where in the 1st century AD. the apostles Paul and Barnabas baptized Herakleidios, their disciple, successor, and then the first bishop of the city-state of Tamassos in Cyprus. The church of Iraklidis was built first, the construction dates back to the 11th century. Then, in the XII century, a chapel was added to it, naming it in honor of John Lampadist. The third chapel of the monastery was erected at the end of the 15th century.

John Lampadist - the son of a local priest, was born in the X century. He decided to devote his whole life to the church, but his parents insisted on his marriage. Having refused the girl, John was poisoned by her and therefore blind. Having taken monastic vows, he served in the temple and performed many miracles, and after his death, believers discovered that the saint's grave could heal. And so a chapel appeared above the last refuge of the saint, where pilgrims aspire to.

There, in the chapel, you can bow to the relics of John Lampadistus, and then see the temple and its frescoes, drink mineral hydrogen sulfide water from the source and walk through the picturesque surroundings.

Holy Monasteries of Cyprus

Monastery of Saint Neophyte

Carved into the rocks, located near Paphos. Saint Neophyte the Recluse lived in stone caves, they are still preserved.

The monastery has frescoes of the Byzantine period, which were painted in the XII century, during the life of the hermit. There is a museum at the monastery, where ancient manuscripts and icons are carefully kept.

Monastery of St. Thekla

It was built by Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine near the life-giving spring, in which she quenched her thirst while staying in Cyprus. The monastery was erected in honor of the holy woman-martyr Thekla, who ascended the fire and remained unharmed.

Thekla spent some time of her life in Antioch (modern Antakya, Turkey), where she was captured and given to be eaten by wild animals that did not dare to touch her. Further, Thekla's path lay in Syria. In a cave near the city of Seleucia, she prayed and healed the sick.

Part of the relics of St. Thekla is kept in the monastery of Cyprus, named after her. The Great Martyr Thekla is commemorated on September 24. Earth from a miraculous source on the territory of the monastery heals skin diseases.

Monastery of St. George

Immediately after the construction, the monastery of Agios Georgios Alamanos served as a male monastery, but now it is a female monastery. The nuns of the monastery paint icons, grow flowers, breed bees. The monastery of St. George is located near Limassol.

Monastery of Saint Nicholas

Its other name is the Monastery of the Cats of St. Nicholas. Also located near Limassol.

Of course, the list of monasteries and holy Orthodox places in Cyprus is far from complete. But it vividly testifies to how strong the influence of the Orthodox Church is in the life of Cyprus.

It is also very pleasing that the ancient monasteries, built at the beginning of our era, are carefully preserved for history and spirituality.