THE CHURCH OF OUR LADY ANGELOKTISTI

AT KITI, LARNAKA

Fig. 1. Southeast view of the church, before the demÔlition of the bell-tower (Photo: Glaszner Studio Larnaca, photo-archive of the Church).

Dr ANDREAS M. FOULIASTheologian-Byzantinist

THE CHURCH OF OUR LADY ANGELOKTISTIAT KITI, LARNAKA

A visitor’s guide

2nd Edition

NICOSIA 2012

ISBN: 9963-9007-1-2Copyright © Andreas M. Foulias, 2012, Nicosia, Cyprus. (andreas.foulias@cytanet.com.cy).All rights reserved.

Any form of reproduction, publication, broadcasting, translation, arrangement, or other adaptation of the whole of this work or of any substantive part of it without the written consent of the author is prohibited.

The author expresses cordially thanksgivings to all those, who helpled for the edition.

Salutation by His Excellency the Metropolitan of Kition Chrysostomos . . 7

An introduction, by Prof. Dem. D. Triantaphyllopoulos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Introductory note, by the Reverend Fr Sotirios Gerolemos . . . . . . . . . . . 10

KITI: A HISTORICAL REVIEW1. The first written sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112. When was Kiti first inhabited? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

THE CHURCH OF OUR LADY ANGELOKTISTI1. The Early Christian basilica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142. The legend about the building of the church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163. The present-day church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

THE CHAPELS1. The Chapel of Sts Cosmas and Damian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182. The Latin Chapel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

THE DECORATION OF THE CHURCH1. The mosaic decoration of the sanctuary conch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232. The wall-paintings of the nave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

ICONSIcon 1. The Theotokos Enthroned with the Child . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Icon 2. St John the Theologos crowning the iconostases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Icon 3. Jesus Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Icon 4. St Paraskeve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Icon 5. St Barbara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Icon 6. The Archangel Michael . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Icon 7. St Nicholas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

GLOSSARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

CONTENTS

Fig.2. The ArchangelMichael. Detail fromthe apse mosaic(Photo: N. Louka).

SALUTATION BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE METROPOLITAN OF KITION, CHRYSOSTOMOS

The monuments of every people are the roots on which it supports itself bothto survive and to create and leave a record of civilisation. This is particularlytrue of religious monuments, which give expression to the way of life andthought and the creed of that people.The Church of Our Lady Angeloktisti at Kiti is a religious and culturalmonument at an international level - a monument which is a point of referencefor scholars, since, apart from its local character, it expresses the religious,theological, cultural and aesthetic ideas of its time.Particularly renowned is the famous mosaic of Our Lady Angeloktisti, whichis considered one of the most important, beautiful and superb works of itsgenre from the Early Christian world.We feel pride in the fact that our Metropolitan Diocese has the blessing andfavour from God of having such a monument, a monument which bearswitness to our Orthodox Christian faith and the admirable religious andarchitectural art of our ancestors.For this reason, we would like to express our warmest congratulations tothose who in any way have helped and still help in the safeguarding and con-servation of this monument. We would like to express special thanks to the church's parish priest, FrSotiris Gerolemos, and the Church Council for their wise and proper actionin proposing to the distinguished theologian Dr Andreas Foulias that he shouldwrite and publish on behalf of the Church of Our Lady Angeloktisti, Kiti, thisimportant and noteworthy study. By their action, they make it possible not onlyfor our people, but for thousands of foreign visitors to the church to acquaintthemselves with the history of this monument with its universal significance.We pray the Triadic God, through the intercessions of Our Blessed Lady, togrant to our beloved Cyprus and to all the world peace and prosperity.

CHRYSOSTOMOSMetropolitan of Kition

7

AN INTRODUCTION

The enterprising parish priest of the Church of Our Lady Angeloktisti at

Kiti, the Reverend Fr Sotirios Gerolemos, has decided to entrust to the

Theologian and Byzantinist Dr Andreas Foulias, the writing of a guide to

this famous church - in recognition, I imagine, of his important study of the

church and its renowned mosaic (see Bibliography).

What can one add to what the writer himself has summed up after many

months of scrupulous investigation? I shall content myself with pointing

out that now, after his detailed examination, the more precise dating of the

mosaic and its interpretation and significance can be seen in a steadier light

- an achievement by no means insignificant in the case of the art of Early

Christian Cyprus, a cradle of Christianity on European soil.

The writer mentions the very ancient tradition, from the time of the Icon-

oclastic Controversy (726 - 843 AD), according to which an infidel (= Mus-

lim) shot an arrow, somewhere in Cyprus, into a mosaic representation of

the Theotokos, from which, supernaturally, blood then flowed. Whether this

referred to this church or some other in Cyprus (for example, Our Lady

Kanakaria at Lythrankomi, Our Lady Kyra at Livadia, Famagusta, etc.) is

perhaps of secondary importance; the tradition is valuable in a multiplicity

of ways for other reasons. First, it conveys us into the climate of opposition

between the two worlds, the already old Christian world and that of Islam,

which had recently made its appearance. Second, it gives us the measure

for judging major international crises: religious (or about world-views

or ideologies) at their root, they are turned secondarily into political and

economic crises. And further, third, it confirms for us the closeness between

the three major monotheistic religions which were born in the eastern corner

of the Mediterranean: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have sometimes been

in conflict and sometimes in a state of reciprocal toleration, in Cyprus and

in the neighbouring regions.

The area in which the Angeloktisti was built has set upon it the seal of

“permanent sanctity” – to quote George Seferis and Zesimos Lorentzatos,

8

9

two persons who loved this island passionately –, which characterises many

similar places in ancient locations and civilisations. From the gods of the

Phoenicians in nearby, ancient Kition, we pass on to the elegant figures

of the Greek Twelve Gods of Olympus, from there to the ponderous

emperor-worship of Rome, followed by the Graceful Theotokos at Angelok-

tisti / Acheiropoietos. Less than a century later (c. 650 ?), near it a new

Angeloktisti was built, this time to honour Umm Haram, a relative of

Mohammed. Two and a half centuries later, a magnificent church was

erected in old Kition (now Larnaka) by the Emperor Leo VI the Wise

(early tenth century) to honour worthily a Jewish Christian, St Lazarus.

What else lies behind this succession of religions and their sanctuaries if

not the urgent lesson of respect for the Other, as Christ Himself bequeathed

that to us and as implemented by St Paul and so many after him?

The monuments of art, and most particularly religious monuments, (should)

teach us the great and foremost good of religious tolerance, that is, love in

Christ for the Other – even our enemy –, the Peace which passes all

understanding (St Paul’s Epistle to Phil. 4: 7). If this short study – the

fruit of the longer one – by our friend, Dr Andreas Foulias, over and

above the archaeological interpretation of the monument also helps in

promoting this end, it will have fulfilled its purpose.

Prof. DEM. D. TRIANTAPHYLLOPOULOSByzantine and Post-Byzantine

Archaeology and ArtUniversity of Cyprus

10

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

It is with the blessing and prayers of our Most Reverend Metropolitan

Dns Dns Chrysostomos that we publish this book, which deals with the

famous Church of Our Lady Angeloktisti at Kiti.

For some time now, the church's council has recognised the need for the

publication of a ‘user-friendly’ guide to the history of this ancient church,

so that the people of Cyprus (and visitors) are aware of the inestimable

treasures which they have inherited from their ancestors. The church, the

famous Early Christian mosaic, the wall-paintings and the icons of the church

are works of art which make up a monument of the greatest importance

for the history of art and for culture.

This task has been undertaken by the Theologian and Byzantinist Dr Andreas

Foulias. We warmly congratulate and thank him for making it possible by

means of this work for our faithful people to read and inform themselves

about the history of the Church of Our Lady Angeloktisti and become aware

of the invaluable treasures which are preserved within it.

We pray that the God of love and peace, through the intercessions of His

All-Holy Mother, will grant His rich gifts to all.

Father SOTIRIOS GEROLEMOSParish Priest, Church of Our Lady Angeloktisti

KITI: A HISTORICAL REVIEW

1. The first written sources

The village of Kiti lies on the southern side of Cyprus, some 12 kilometres

south-west of the city of Larnaka and ancient Kition. The first written

reference to the village occurs in a letter of Pope Celestine in 1196, when,

after the conquest of Cyprus by the Franks (1191 - 1192), he endowed the

Latin Archbishopric of Nicosia with the tithes of villages, among them Kiti.

The village is also mentioned by the fifteenth-century Cypriot chronicler

Leontios Machairas in his

work Recital concerning

the Sweet Land of Cyprus

entitled ‘Chronicle’. The

reference of Leontios

Machairas concerns the

landing of King Peter I

Lusignan (1359 - 1369),

after a campaign on the

coast, near the village -

where, moreover, he built

a country palace in 1367.

References to the village can also be found in later writers, principally

travellers, such as Pietro della Valle, who visited it in 1626, Corneille le

Bruyn, who, in 1683, remarked that if proper care were taken of this

place, an earthly paradise would be created, because of the abundant

subterranean water-bearing strata in the area. A part of the Gothic bridge,

unfortunately neglected and in poor condition (Fig. 4), has survived until

the present day; this, according to Camille Enlart, an important researcher

of the Gothic architecture of Cyprus, was linked to a water cistern and

irrigation channels.

11

Fig. 3. Detail from the Portolan by Johannes Oliva (1638), showing Kiti(By the courtesy of the Cultural Foundation of the Bank of Cyprus).

➚

2. When was Kiti first inhabited?

It is not certain where the village took its name from, but the etymological

likeness with that of ancient Kition cannot be purely accidental. In the fourth

century AD Cyprus was afflicted by prolonged drought and successive

earthquakes. These phenomena must have dealt serious blows to the city of

Kition and to its harbour, which began to silt up. It seems that in the second

half of the fourth century the inhabitants of ancient Kition moved to other

nearby areas, among them Kiti, clearly in search of fertile land and security,

as was the case with other cities in Cyprus at the same period. The Russian

traveller Vasilij Bars’kyj reported, in 1736, that the village had once been

the see of a bishop. It is very likely that at some point the bishopric of Kition

was transferred to Kiti and thus the name of the ancient kingdom was

preserved in that of the village. This version of events is also supported

by the local folk tradition, as we shall see below.

12

Fig. 4. The Gothic bridge of Kition, as drawn by Camille Enlart in the late nineteenth century (C. Enlart, Gothic Art and the Renaissance in Cyprus, London 1987 [first edition in French,

L' Art gothique et la Renaissance en Chypre, Paris 1899]).

FFiigg.. 55.. TThhee eeaasstt ssiiddee ooff tthhee cchhuurrcchhPPaannaaggiiaa AAnnggeellookkttiissttii ((PPhhoottoo:: NN.. LLoouukkaa))..

THE CHURCH OF OUR LADY ANGELOKTISTI

1. The Early Christian basilica

The village’s most important monument is, surely, the Church of Our

Lady Angeloktisti, a building of the eleventh - twelfth century, erected on

the ruins of a three-aisled, wooden-roofed Early Christian basilica. In the

fifth century a basilica with a semi-circular synthronon (stone bench on

which the bishop and clergy sat), which survives today in the sanctuary,

behind the altar, was built.

This wooden-roofed Early

Christian church, which must

have suffered extensive fire

damage, is an irrefutable

witness to the existence of

the village from that period.

The first repairs and rebuild-

ing must have taken place

in the sixth century. Of the

original basilica only the syn-

thronon and the sanctuary

conch, together with a very

few architectural members, have been preserved, incorporated into the church

in its present form. The conch of the church’s sanctuary was originally

without decoration. It was after this repair that the important mosaic

which adorns the semidome* of the apse, showing Theotokos holding the

Holy Child and accompanied by the archangels, must have been constructed.

14

Words with an asterisk (*) are explained at the end of the Guide

Fig. 6. Photograph taken before the demolition of the bell-tower and the stone-walling around it in 1955

(Photograph: Glaszner Studio, Larnaka Photo-archive of the Church).

15

Fig. 7. Copper engraving of the late nineteenth century, showing an older bell-tower, the apses on the exterior of the nave and the two chapels,

a ground plan, and the interior of the church (Photo-archive of the Church).

2. The legend about the building of the church

Folk tradition, while not constituting a decisive proof, often preserves

important information from which we can trace various historical and other

events. Thus, according to the popular legend of the region, the residents

of ancient Kition, because of the Arab raids, decided to move to Kiti for

greater security. When they arrived there, they also decided to build a church

in honour of the Theotokos. When they began to build, they discovered that

the foundations of the church had been moved to another spot, and so they

began to build the church on the new site, and, at the same time, they saw

armies of angels building the church at night. And it was for this reason that

it received the epithet of Angeloktisti (= built by angels).

3. The present-day church

The existing church is an eleventh - twelfth-century building, in the type of

the cross-in-square with dome. During the centuries, it has undergone

certain changes and additions. In the twelfth century, a small Chapel for Sts

Cosmas and Damian was built on the north of the church, while in the late

thirteenth or early fourteenth century a Latin Chapel was added on the south

side, to serve the religious needs of the new rulers of Cyprus - the Franks.

In the nineteenth century, an extension was made to the church’s west

16

Fig. 8. The south-eastside of the church, asseen today(Photo: N. Louka).

end, while in the interior a women’s gallery was constructed. The sanctuary

screen is the work of two different periods: the sanctuary doors are note-

worthy work of the sixteenth century, while the rest is of the eighteenth.

On the exterior south side of the church, on the roof an interesting Gothic

free-standing carved water-spout in the shape of an animal has been

preserved: in all probability, it dates from the time of the building of the

Latin Chapel.

During the 1950s, extensive conservation and restoration work to the

church and its additions was carried out. In 1955, the Antiquities Department

demolished the high bell-tower (Figs. 1, 6) which had been built in the

early twentieth century and was on the south-eastern corner of the Latin

Chapel, in order to build another smaller one, of the Gothic type, at its south

entrance.

From 2009-2011 conservation works where undertaken by the Department

of Antiquities, in the main church and the side chapels. The plaster on

the walls was removed and as a result, the several structure faces of the

church can be seen. During the excavations in the main church the 11th

century old floor was recovered; visitors can now view this floor in the west

part of the church under glass.

17

Fig. 10. Ground-plan of the church and its chapels (G. Sotiriou, The Byzantine monuments of Cyprus [in Greek] Athens 1935).

THE CHAPELS

1. The Chapel of Sts Cosmas and Damian

It is likely that the vaulted-roofed chapel on the north of the church, dedicated

to the healer-saints Cosmas and Damian (the Anargyroi), was built in a

time of plague in the twelfth century. In 1967, the Antiquities Department

undertook the consolidation and conservation of the chapel. Outside, on

the north side, medieval tombs (not visible today) were discovered; the

existence of these, in conjunction with the dedication of the chapel, leads

us to the conclusion that it was perhaps originally a funeral chapel. In a

nineteenth-century copper engraving (Fig. 7) it appears as a baptistery.

Of the chapel’s wall-painting only a few examples remain: on the drums of

the blind arches and on the soffits. These belong to various periods and have

suffered considerable damage with the passage of time. There were two

wall-paintings of Sts Cosmas and Damian in successive layers on the

western blind arch of the north wall. The earlier layer of the wall-paintings

shows the two healer-saints, who

are depicted as young men; this,

which is badly damaged and

has been subjected to hammer-

blows, dates from the second half

of the fourteenth century. It was

detached from the north wall and

transferred to the west, over the

entrance to the church. The figure

on the right, perhaps of St Damian,

even in its present poor condition,

stands out for the exceptional

beauty and nobility of its features.

The later representation of the

18

Fig. 11. Chapel of Sts Cosmas and Damian. Wall-paintingdetached and transferred over the entrance to the chapel

(Photo: N. Louka).

patron saints and an unidentified figure have remained on the western blind

arch of the north wall. Lower down, the donor is shown, but his portrait is

in a poor condition. On the opposite drum of the western blind arch of the

south wall there are wall-paintings of differing periods. The central subject,

St George mounted and slaying the dragon, dates from the fifteenth - six-

teenth century. St George’s face and hands were overpainted in the second

half of the eighteenth century. On the lower half of the eastern side of the

arch’s soffit the figure of St John Baptist in prayer has been preserved;

this seems to belong to the older stratum of the painting in the church and

dates from the thirteenth century. It is perhaps the work of the same artist

19

Fig. 12. Chapel of Sts Cosmas and Damian. Wall-painting of St George on horseback, fifteenth - sixteenthcentury, with over-paintings of the eighteenth (Photo: N. Louka).

who painted the Annunciation of the

Virgin, to be seen over the sanctuary

screen, on the western side of the north-

eastern pier of the nave (Fig. 20). On

the upper half of the soffit of the arch

St Demetrius is shown full-face, while

on the soffit’s western side, an uniden-

tified female saint is depicted in the

lower part. She wears royal robes and

a crown on her head, and has a small

box in her left hand. In the upper

part St Theodore is shown full-face.

On the same wall, between the west-

ern blind arch and the western entrance,

an unidentified female martyr is depict-

ed at full length. These wall-paintings

belong to the stratum of the fifteenth

- sixteenth century. Fragments of wall-

paintings of the same period have also

been preserved, but in poor condition,

on the soffit of the eastern blind

arch.

2. The Latin Chapel

Over the entrance to the Latin Chapel,

three escutcheons have survived. One

of these, with three lions’ heads, belonged to the wealthy Frankish fami-

ly of Gibelet, proprietors of the chapel (Fig. 14). In the interior, an

incised gravestone belonging to Simone Renier de Gibelet, who died in

20

Fig. 13. Incised gravestone of Simone Renier deGibelet (†1302) (Photo: A. Foulias).

1302, has been preserved (Fig. 13).1 It was at that period that the chapel must

have been built, probably as a burial-place. The chapel has a projecting semi-

circular apse on the east, and the ceiling is covered with Gothic cross vaults.

In the early twentieth century this chapel was used as an elementary school;

today it houses a small icon-store. Repairs to the Latin Chapel were carried

out in 1956 and 1967 by the Department of Antiquities.

During the last conservation works (2009-2011) and after the removal of

the old floor in the Latin chapel many tombs were found, confirming its

funerary character.

21

1 The gravestone covered the relics of the dead, buried in front of and right to the altar.

Fig. 14. Coast of arms of the Frankish family Gibelet(Photo: A. Foulias).

FFiigg.. 1155.. TThhee mmoossaaiicc iinn tthhee sseemmiiddoommee ooff tthhee ssaannccttuuaarryy aappssee wwiitthh TThheeoottookkooss wwiitthh tthhee CChhiilldd aanndd aarrcchhaannggeellss ((PPhhoottoo:: NN.. LLoouukkaa))..

FFiiggss.. 1166,, 1177.. DDeettaaiill ffrroomm tthhee aappssee mmoossaaiicc ((PPhhoottoo:: NN.. LLoouukkaa))..

THE DECORATION OF THE MAIN CHURCH

1. The mosaic decoration of the sanctuary conch

A mosaic is a work of art which is formed by the assembling of small units

called tesserae, usually of different colours. The art of the mosaic was

practised at times of material prosperity or when there was a wealthy patron

available, given that, compared with wall-painting, mosaic is much more

expensive, but it is also more imposing and more resistant to the ravages

of time. In the mosaic of the Angeloktisti the unknown artist has used

natural tesserae for the faces, and artificial ones, such as those of gold

on the background and the garments of Christ, and of silver used for the

nimbuses of the angels. The size of the tesserae on the background and

garments is almost four times that used for the faces and unclothed parts

of the body.

It is usual to portray the Virgin with the Holy Child, flanked by the two

archangels Michael and Gabriel, in the semidome of the sanctuary conch

of churches. The conch of the sanctuary is that part of the church’s archi-

tecture which joins the roof with the ground, that is, Above - the dome,

symbolising Heaven, where the Pantocrator is depicted - with Below, the

place of the faithful. Thus Theotokos, who appears in the conch of the

sanctuary, that is between Heaven and Earth, is the intermediary, “the

heavenly ladder by which God descended”, according to a hymn.

The first written reference to the church’s famous mosaic is made by the

reliable and observant Russian monk and traveller Vasilij Bars’kyj, who

visited the village in 1736. Bars’kyj, moreover, links the mosaic depiction

of Theotokos in the Angeloktisti with a legend, according to which when

an Arab fired an arrow at this representation, blood and tears miraculously

welled from it.

The famous mosaic which covers the semidome of the sanctuary conch of

Our Lady Angeloktisti at Kiti (Fig. 15) is one of the most renowned and

23

finest mural works of the Early Christian world.2 The mosaic shows Theotokos

standing, holding the Infant Christ with Her left hand and attended by the

Archangels Michael and Gabriel. It is the oldest surviving monumental

representation of the Virgin with the Child (so-called Brephokratousa).

Christ, wearing gold garments, holds a closed scroll in His left hand and

gives His blessing with His right. Theotokos stands on a sumptuous

footstool which interrupts the decorative band with its geometrical patterns,

thus giving the impression that She is moving forward. On the left of

Theotokos, the Archangel Gabriel is depicted with a restrained face, moving

towards her with an open and vigorous stride, thus recalling his role in the

Annunciation (Fig. 23). In his left hand he holds a sceptre and in his right

an orb topped with a cross, symbolising Christ’s rule in the world. On the

right of Theotokos is the Archangel Michael - though the greater part of the

figure is, unfortunately, obliterated - who is more static and calm, with blue

eyes and brown-blond hair, which make for a face of exceptional beauty

(Fig.2). The faces of the angels are marked by the artist’s efforts to give

them individual characteristics. These two angels with their classical

beauty are clothed in the white tunics of philosophers and furnished with

imposing peacock’s wings which symbolise immortality and eternity.

Peacock’s wings on angels are encountered chiefly in the East, the most

typical example being that on the front of the apse, above the famous

24

2 Before the Turkish invasion of 1974, two more Early Christian mosaics depicting Theotokoswere preserved in churches in Cyprus. The earlier of these (first third of the sixth century)was in the village of Lythrankomi, in the Church of Our Lady in the province of Famagusta;this showed Theotokos enthroned in glory, holding the Infant Christ, between two Archangels.This mosaic was detached by illicit Turk dealers of antiquities and was badly damaged.Fragments of this were repatriated after judicial contests and are kept today in the ByzantineMuseum of the Archbishop Makarios’ III Foundation in Nicosia. The third mosaic was inthe village of Livadia in the province of Famagusta, in the small church of Our Lady Kyra,where in the conch of the sanctuary there was a fragmentary mosaic depiction (first half ofthe seventh century) of the Virgin Orans. Unfortunately, this mosaic was completely destroyedafter the Turkish invasion.

mosaic of the Transfiguration (sixth

century) in the conch of the sanctuary in

the Church of St Catherine’s Monastery

at Sinai.

The inscription accompanying Theotokos

in the Angeloktisti describes Her as ∏

∞°π∞ ª∞ƒπ∞ (St Mary), an appellation

which gives rise to many questions as to

its theological significance, given that the

Third Oecumenical Council at Ephesus

in 431 AD, in rejecting the heretical views

of Nestorius, ascribed to the Virgin Mary

the term Theotokos. The theological inter-

pretation of the inscription has provoked much debate among scholars, since

at that time the title St Mary is encountered chiefly in the Monophysite

provinces of the East. It is worth noting that the sources provide evidence of

the presence of strong Monophysite groups in Cyprus in the sixth century.

The representation of Theotokos in the mosaic of the Angeloktisti is in all

probability a forerunner type, an early depiction of what was later to become

the well-known type of the ‘Hodeghetria’*. There are several iconographic

similarities to the depiction in the Angeloktisti to be seen in two works from

the Early Christian world: (a) The illustrated Syriac Rabbula Gospel Book

25

Fig. 19. Decorative motif from the soffit of the arch (Photo: N. Louka).

Fig.18. Theotokos with the Holy Child,miniature from the Syriac Gospel of Rabbula,

fo1. 1v. (Florence, Laurentiana Library).

(586 AD), on fol. 1v., where Theotokos is shown upright, holding the Christ

Child with Her left hand, and standing on a footstool (Fig. 18); (b) an icon

of Theotokos holding the Christ Child with Her left hand, dating from

609, in the Pantheon in Rome (Santa Maria ad Martyres).

There is plant and animal decoration on the soffit of the arch, and this is

repeated identically and symmetrically on its two sides. From bottom to

top, we see a trapezoidal tripod from which exuberant acanthuses sprout,

while a fount - vessel of ‘alabaster’ projects from the acanthuses. Water

pours from its mouth and this is being drunk by two opposite facing ducks

(Fig. 23). The second motif again consists of an ‘alabaster’vessel, with two

parrots, to right and left, wearing a ribbon at their throats, an iconographic

feature derived from Sassanid* art. This feature is encountered in Early

Christian mosaics mainly in Syria and Palestine and in Italy, while in Cyprus

it is to be found only in the Angeloktisti. The third motif consists again of

a vessel, with half-bodied deer on both sides, their horns supporting a cross

with rays, which crown the top of the arch (Figs. 15, 19).

The decoration of the soffit of the arch is of an undoubtedly symbolic

character. It is likely that it sym-

bolises the renewal of nature and

paradisal peace achieved through

the saving message of Christianity,

represented here by the central scene,

but also by the eradiation of the

cross and the flowing, life-giving

water. Motifs of a similar mood are

encountered in mosaics or other

depictions in Syria, as well as in

Ravenna.

The provenance of the artists who

produced the mosaic is not known

to us, but it would seem that theyFig. 20. The Annunciation (Photo: K. Gerasimou).

26

FFiigg..2211.. VViirrggiinn MMaarryy aannddCChhrriisstt ffrroomm tthhee aappsseemmoossaaiicc ((PPhhoottoo:: NN.. LLoouukkaa))..

were familiar with the tradition of the

great artistic centres of the day, such as

Constantinople, and had also absorbed

important Eastern influences and

features, which are incorporated in a

natural manner into this superb asset of

the world’s cultural heritage, a work

which dates from the last quarter of

the sixth century shortly after Justinian,

that is, from around the reign of the

Emperor Maurice (582 - 602 AD).

2. The wall-paintings of the naveImportant wall-paintings, dating from

the mid thirteenth century, have been

preserved in the church. In the nave, on

the south side of the north-western

pier, an enthroned Theotokos has been

preserved in a half-ruined condition.

Another wall-painting showing the Annunciation of the Virgin can be

seen above the sanctuary screen, on the western side of the north-eastern

pier (Fig. 20). It can be seen better from the women’s gallery. On the

north side of the south-eastern pier, within the sanctuary, a section of a

wall-painting showing St Solomone, who holds an open scroll, has survived.

The best-preserved scene is that on the north-eastern pier, showing John the

Baptist (Fig. 22) holding an open scroll bearing the usual inscription:

ª∂Δ∞¡√∂πΔ∂ ∏°°π∫∂ °∞ƒ ∏ μ∞™π§∂π∞ Δø¡ √Àƒ∞¡ø¡ [Repent,

for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand] (Matth. 3: 2). According to the

dedicatory inscription on the right of the saint, this is the supplication

(offering) of a certain Leon. Below the mosaic of the apse, a wall-painting

in poor condition with the figure of an unidentified hierarch has survived.

This too dates from the thirteenth century.

28

Fig. 22. St John the Baptist, thirteenth century.Nave, eastern side of the north-eastern pier.(By the courtesy of the Cultural Foundation

of the Bank of Cyprus).

ICONS

The art of icon-painting is par excellence a theological and liturgical art,

whose purpose is to contribute to an understanding and experiencing on

the part of the faithful of the Mysteries of the Church, and particularly

of the Holy Eucharist. The holy icons have always been for Orthodox

Christians a way and means of expression of profound faith in God and

of the possibility of the divination of man.

In the Church of Our Lady at Kiti icons of various periods and styles,

from the thirteenth to the twentieth century, have been preserved. In the

small icon-store which is housed in the Latin Chapel, some noteworthy

icons are kept; in this brief guide we give an indicative account of the most

representative of them.

Icon 1. Theotokos enthroned with the Child, between St Luke the

Evangelist and St Lazarus, thirteenth century, with over-paintings

of the seventeenth and nineteenth century.

106 x 85 cm

Sanctuary

The subject is a rare one, since it depicts

Theotokos enthroned, holding the Infant

Christ, with the Evangelist Luke with

his paintbrush on her right, as a reminder

of the legend that She wanted him to

have the privilege of being the first to

paint her portrait, while on Her left is

a depiction of St Lazarus, first Bishop

of Kition. The icon dates from the

second half of the thirteenth century,

though it underwent various over-

paintings in the seventeenth and

29

(Photo: N. Louka)

nineteenth, which renders its stylistic analysis difficult. Perhaps reflected

in this important icon are significant events of the period of Frankish rule

in Cyprus (1191-1571), having to do with the reaction of the Orthodox

inhabitants of the island to the abolition of the majority of the Orthodox

bishoprics, including that of Kition, as a result of the provisions of the Bulla

or Constitutio Cypria of Pope Alexander IV of 1260. This rare composition

is perhaps also connected with the folk legend of a visit of the Theotokos

to the first Bishop of Kition, St Lazarus.

Bibliography: K. Gerasimou, K. Papaïoakeim, C. Spanou, The religious paintingin the district of Kition ( in Greek), Larnaka 2002, pp. 44 - 45, 134.

Icon 2. St John the Theologos, crowning

of the iconostases, sixteenth century

117 x 45 cm

Icon-store - Latin Chapel

One of the finest works in the church is a lyperon*

depicting St John the Theologos, which, with

the corresponding figure of Theotokos, now

lost, were placed on either side of the large cross

on top of the iconostasis; a part of the cross is

preserved and exhibited in the museum, although

today the painting on its surface has not survived.

The lyperon showing John is an exceptional

example of the so-called Italo-Byzantine style

of Cyprus icon-painting of the sixteenth century.

The young John is shown at full length with

refined and handsome features, mourning the

Crucified. His right hand rests on his cheek in a

gesture expressing his grief. An almost identical

composition of 1544 is to be found in the case

of the lypera which crowns the iconostases

30

(Photo: N. Louka)

of the Monastery of St Neophytus at Paphos, the work of Joseph Houris.

Bibliography: A. Papageorghiou, Icons of Cyprus, Geneva 1969, pp. 60 - 61;

K. Gerasimou, K. Papaïoakeim, C. Spanou, The religious painting in the district

of Kition (in Greek), Larnaka 2002, pp. 74, 78, 176.

Icon 3. Jesus Christ, seventeenth

century

95 x 67 cm

Icon-store - Latin Chapel

Christ is shown full-face, on a gold

background, giving His blessing with

His right hand, while with His left He

holds an open Gospel book whose text

reads: “∂∞¡ °∞ƒ ∞º∏Δ∂ Δ√π™

∞¡£ƒø¶√π™ Δ∞ ¶∞ƒ∞¶Δøª∞Δ∞

∞ÀΔø¡ ∞º∏™∂π ∫∞π Àªπ¡ √

¶∞Δ∏ƒ √ √Àƒ∞¡π√™Ø ∂∞¡ ¢∂

ª∏ ∞º∏Δ∂ Δ√π™ ∞¡£ƒø¶√π™

Δ∞ ¶∞ƒ∞¶Δøª∞Δ∞ ∞ÀΔø¡,

√À¢∂ √ ¶∞Δ∏ƒ Àªø¡ ∞º∏™∂π

Δ∞ ¶∞ƒ∞¶Δøª∞Δ∞ Àªø¡ “[For

if ye forgive men their trespasses, your

heavenly Father will also forgive you:

But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive

your trespasses] (Matth. 6: 14 - 15). Jesus is dressed in a porphyry tunic and

a dark green himation, which is decorated with gold vegetal ornamentation.

On its upper part, the icon has two medallions with the gold monograms

π(HCOY)C X(PICTO)C, while in a rectagular panel on the right the word

KOCMOY [of the world] appears. The panel on the left has been lost;

clearly it contained the words O ™øΔ∏ƒ [the Saviour]. The nimbus of Christ

is inscribed with a red cross, the words √ ø¡ [He who is], and four

31

(Photo: N. Louka)

medallions with gold vegetable ornamentations on a green background. The

austere figure of Christ is marked by a hieratic manner and an expression

of power. The anonymous painter’s model is to be sought in icons of the

Palaeologan tradition (13th-15th cent.), though he does not shun borrowings

from the West, such as the exaggerated humanisation of the face and the

vegetal decoration on the himation.

Bibliography: Unpublished.

Icon 4. St Paraskeve, seventeenth century

86 x 56 cm

Icon-store - Latin Chapel

The saint is depicted from the waist up in a strictly full-face pose, holding

in her hands a small icon of Christ in the type of the ‘Man of Sorrows’. This

iconographic type made its appearance in Cyprus in the thirteenth century

and is believed to be a personification

of the day of Good Friday in Holy

Week, as on that day the icon of the

‘Man of Sorrows’ was exposed for

veneration. The nimbuses of the

saint and of Christ have low relief

with vegetal decoration; the saint

wears a red maphorion. On the back-

ground of the icon, a half-obliterated

inscription in red capitals - ∏ ∞°π∞

¶∞ƒ∞™∫∂μ∏ (St Paraskeve) - can

be seen. The skill shown in the design,

the refinement and nobility of the

face, the soft and careful modelling,

clearly influenced by the painting of

the immediately preceding period

(sixteenth century) are some of the

32

(Photo: N. Louka)

merits which are characteristic of

this work, the identity of whose

artist is not known.

Bibliography: Unpublished.

Icon 5. St Barbara, first half

of the eighteenth century

64 x 43 cm

Main Church

The icon is divided into three zones.

The upper one, which takes up half

of the icon, shows St Barbara against

a gold background, full-face in bust,

holding up her hands in prayer, with

a cross in her right hand. She wears

a green tunic, a red cloak, and a white

kerchief. The saint’s nimbus is punched. In the upper part of the gold

background there are two medallions containing the words, in gold

lettering: ∏ ∞°π∞ μ∞ƒμ∞ƒ∞ [St Barbara]. The middle zone is divided

into three parts, in which scenes from her life and sufferings are portrayed,

as described in her synaxarion (martyrology), while the upper part is

divided into three parts, which bear the inscription Δ∞ ª∞ƒΔÀƒπ∞ Δ∏™

∞°π∞™ μ∞ƒμ∞ƒ∞™ [The sufferings of St Barbara]. The last zone is a

single one and narrates the arrest, in a rocky landscape, of the saint by

her pagan father, Dioscurus, who, according to her Vita, beheaded her

himself. The icon belongs to the trend of Athonite painting of the eighteenth

century, and is connected with the work of the Athonite monk Mathaios

Koutloumousianos in the Larnaka region.

Bibliography: Unpublished.

33

(Photo: N. Louka)

34

Icon 6. The Archangel

Michael, eighteenth

century (?)

182 x 120 cm

Main Church

This is the largest and one

of the finest icons belong-

ing to the church. It depicts

the Archangel Michael,

dressed in an imperial tunic

and a clavus embossed

with precious stones and

medallions with crosses.

In his right hand he holds

a sceptre and his left a

medallion containing the

figure of Christ the Saviour,

who is holding an open

Gospel book. The impos-

ing figure of Michael is

redolent of grandeur, but

also of spirituality. The red of the wings is in harmonious contrast with

the gold of the icon’s background. In the upper part of the background

there are two medallions with the inscription √ ∞ƒÃø¡ ªπÃ∞∏§

[The Governor Michael]; his nimbus is punched. The unknown artist has

achieved an admirable imitation of earlier models of the Palaeologan

artistic tradition.

Bibliography: A. Papageorghiou, Icons of Cyprus, Nicosia 1991, p. 73; K.

Gerasimou, K. Papaïoakeim, C. Spanou,The religious painting in the district

of Kition (in Greek), Larnaka 2002, pp. 114 - 115, 228.

(Photo: Photo Phoenix)

Icon 7. St Nicholas, eighteenth

century

122 x 68 cm

Main church

The saint is shown full-face, at full length,

in his episcopal vestments: a grey stichar-

ion (alb), with floral decoration, a stole,

a red epigonation, and a phailonion

(chasuble) of the same colour, decorated

with a multiplicity of crosses, and a light-

coloured omophorion (pall) with crosses

of a darker colour. In his left hand, which

is covered with his vestments as a sign

of respect, he holds a closed, gold-bound,

Gospel book, while his right is raised in

benediction. On the upper part of the

green background is the inscription:

√ ∞°π√™ ¡π∫√§∞√™ [St Nicholas].

The icon is the work of a popular painter

with weakness in design, who followed the trend of the traditional post-

Byzantine school of painting of the Monastery of St Heraclidius, in which

the figures are shown as emaciated, a phenomenon which has been

interpreted as a result of the difficult conditions of the years under the

Ottoman rule.

Bibliography: Unpublished.

35

(Photo: Photo Phoenix)

36

GLOSSARY

Lyperon (pl. lypera): The icons of the Theotokos and St John the Evangelist

which stand on either side of the Crucified on the cresting of the iconostases.

Hodeghetria: Epithet and iconographic type of Theotokos holding the Christ

Child with Her left hand and pointing to Him with Her right, thus leading

(Greek hodeghein) the faithful to Him. The name comes from the Monastery

of the Hodegon in Constantinople.

Sassanid: The art of the ancient Persians (3rd to 7th cent. AD).

Semidome: The way in which the apse or conch of the sanctuary is roofed

in Byzantine architecture, the equivalent of a quarter of a sphere.

Map of the region of Larnaka/Kition (K. Nicolaou, The historical topography of Kition, Göteborg 1976)

Fig. 23. The Archangel Gabriel, detail from the apse-mosaic (Photo N. Louca).

38

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Annual Report of the Department of Antiquities Cyprus (2009-2011),

(forthcoming).

Bryer, A.A.M. and Georgallides, G.S., (eds) The Sweet Land of Cyprus

(Papers Given at the Twenty-Fifth Jubilee Spring Symposium of

Byzantine Studies, Birmingham, March 1991), Nicosia 1993.

Enlart, C., Gothic Art and the Renaissance in Cyprus, (translated and

edited by David Hunt) London 1987, [first edition in French, L' Art

gothique et la Renaissance en Chypre, Paris 1899].

Ettinghausen, R., From Byzantium to Sassanian Iran and the Islamic world.

Three modes of artistic influence (The L.A. Mayer Studies in Islamic

Art and Archaeology, vol. 3), Leiden 1972.

Foulias, A., «ΔÔ „ËÊȉˆÙfi Ù˘ ·„›‰·˜ ÛÙËÓ ¶·Ó·Á›· ∞ÁÁÂÏfiÎÙÈÛÙË ∫ÈÙ›Ô˘»,

∂ÂÙËÚ›‰· ∫¤ÓÙÚÔ˘ ªÂÏÂÙÒÓ πÂÚ¿˜ ªÔÓ‹˜ ∫‡ÎÎÔ˘, 8 (2008), 269-334.

Gerasimou, K., Papaïoakeim, K., Spanou, C., ∏ ηٿ ∫›ÙÈÔÓ ·ÁÈÔÁÚ·ÊÈ΋

Ù¤¯ÓË, Larnaca 2002.

Gkioles, N., ^H ¯ÚÈÛÙÈ·ÓÈ΋ Ù¤¯ÓË ÛÙ‹Ó ∫‡ÚÔ àfi ÙfiÓ Ù¤Ù·ÚÙÔ ·åÒÓ·

̤¯ÚÈ ÙfiÓ ÂåÎÔÛÙfi, Nicosia 2003.

Grabar, A., Die Kunst im Zeitalter Justinians, vom Tod Theodosius, I. bis

zum Vordringen des Islam, Münich 1967.

Hacket, J., ̂ IÛÙÔÚ›· Ùɘ \OÚıÔ‰fiÍÔ˘ \EÎÎÏËÛ›·˜ Ùɘ ∫‡ÚÔ˘, (supplemented

and translated by C. Papaïoannou) 3 vol., Athens, I (1923), Piraeus, II

(1927), III (1932).

Ihm, C., Die Programme der christlichen Apsismalerei, 4. Jahrhundert

bis zur Mitte des 8. Jahrhunderts, Stuttgart 1992.

Kitzinger E., Byzantine Art in the Making. Main lines of stylistic development

in Mediterranean art 3rt-7th century, London 1977.

39

Maguire, H., Earth and Ocean, the Terrestrial World in Early Byzantine

Art, University Park and London 1987.

Megaw, A.H.S., “Byzantine architecture and decoration in Cyprus:

Metropolitan or provincial?”, Dumbarton Oaks Papers 28, 1974,

pp. 59-88.

Nicolaou, K., The Historical Topography of Kition (Studies in Mediter-

ranean Archaeology, vol. XLIII), Götenborg 1976.

Papageorghiou, A., «^H ·Ï·ÈÔ¯ÚÈÛÙÈ·ÓÈÎc ηd μ˘˙·ÓÙÈÓc Ù¤¯ÓË Ùɘ

∫‡ÚÔ˘», reprint from \AfiÛÙÔÏÔ˜ μ·ÚÓ¿‚·˜, Nicosia 1966.

Papageorghiou, A., «ΔÔ ∫›ÙÈÔÓ Î·Ù¿ ÙËÓ ‚˘˙·ÓÙÈÓ‹Ó Î·È ÌÂ۷ȈÓÈ΋Ó

ÂÚ›Ô‰ÔÓ», ∫˘Úȷηd ™Ô˘‰·›, 62-63 (2000), pp. 199-209.

Paraskevopoulou, M., Researches into the Traditions of the Popular

Religious Feasts of Cyprus, trans. P. Bosustow, Nicosia 1985.

Vasilaki, M. (ed.), ª‹ÙËÚ £ÂÔ‡. AÂÈÎÔÓ›ÛÂȘ Ù˘ ¶·Ó·Á›·˜ ÛÙË ‚˘˙·ÓÙÈÓ‹

Ù¤¯ÓË, ∫·Ù¿ÏÔÁÔ˜ ŒÎıÂÛ˘, Athens - Milan 2000.

EditorDr Andreas Foulias

Design and Artistic SupervisionEN TIPIS VOULA KOKKINOU LTD

TranslationCox Geoffrey

Photo EditingEN TIPIS VOULA KOKKINOU LTD

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This illustrated guide was printed in 3.000 copiesin March 2012