There are over sixty churches in Cyprus with Byzantine and post-Byzantine wall paintings. Of these, ten that are situated in the Troodos Mountains have been inscribed jointly on the UNESCO World Heritage List as the Painted Churches in the Troodos Region.

History

The origins of Christianity on the island may be traced to the visit of St. Paul, St. Barnabas and St. Mark around AD 46. After the fall of the western Roman Empire, Cyprus came under the sway of Byzantium, although the timely discovery of Barnabas' relics helped the Church of Cyprus uphold its autocephaly. The crusader Kingdom of Cyprus outlived the Fall of Constantinople by a generation; the subsequent sale of the island to Venice led to a brief period of Italo-Byzantine painting. In 1571 Cyprus fell to the Ottomans and the practice of ecclesiastic wall painting largely came to an end.

Organization of space Subject to the layout of each church, the iconographic schema typically accords with the classic Byzantine tripartition, evident also in Byzantine mosaic decoration, the three zones comprising: (1) the dome and conch of the apse; (2) the pendentives, squinches and upper vaults; and (3) the lower, secondary vaults and walls. The first is reserved for depictions of the holiest persons, the Christ Pantokrator and the Virgin; the second for scenes from the Life of Christ and the festival cycle; and the third for the choir of intercessory saints.

Preservation Since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, a number of churches in the north have been looted and their wall paintings detached to supply the international antiquities trade. Among them is the Church of St. Evphemianos in Lysi: the thirteenth-century Christ Pantocrator mural and surrounding angels were detached, leaving their feet behind; the paintings were then acquired for the Menil Collection and displayed at the Byzantine Fresco Chapel in Houston, Texas before their repatriation to the south in 2012. Meanwhile, many churches in the south been the subject of conservation interventions, conducted by the Department of Antiquities, Dumbarton Oaks and the Courtauld Institute of Art, aimed at reconciling the competing demands of stability, legibility and authenticity within the framework of ongoing devotional practice.

Churches Church Municipality Exterior Comments Interior Coordinates Ref.Panagia KanakariaΠαναγία ΚανακαριάOur Lady Kanakaria Lythrangomi sixth-century wall mosaics were looted in the 1970s; some have been recovered from art dealers Panagia AngeloktistiΠαναγία η ΑγγελόκτιστηVirgin Mary Built by the Angels Kiti Panagia KyraΠαναγιά ΚυράMost Holy Lady Livadia Agios Nikolaos tis StegisΆγιος Νικόλαος της ΣτέγηςSt. Nicholas of the Roof Kakopetria included in UNESCO inscription Panagia TheotokosΠαναγία ΘεοτόκοςMost Holy Mother of God Kakopetria Agios Georgios PerachoritisΆγιος Γεώργιος ο ΠεραχωρίτηςSt. George Perachoritis Kakopetria Agios SozomenosΆγιος ΣωζόμενοςSt. Sozomenos Galata Panagia TheotokosΠαναγία Θεοτόκος / Αρχάγγελος ΜιχαήλMost Holy Mother of God or Archangel Michael Galata Panagia PodithouΠαναγία ΠοδίθουOur Lady of Podithou Galata included in UNESCO inscription Agia ParaskeviΑγία ΠαρασκευήSt. Paraskevi Galata Agioi Ioachim kai AnnaΑγίοι Ιωακείμ και ΆνναSaints Joachim and Anna Kaliana Archangelos MichaelΑρχάγγελος ΜιχαήλArchangel Michael Vyzakia Panagia PhorbiotissaΠαναγία Φορβιώτισσα / Παναγία της ΑσίνουVirgin Mary Phorbiotissa or Our Lady of Asinou Nikitari included in UNESCO inscription Panagia ChrysokourdaliotissaΠαναγία ΧρυσοκουρδαλιωτισσαVirgin Mary Chrysokourdaliotissa Spilia also known as the Church of the Dormition, Kourdali; submitted in 2002 as an extension to the UNESCO inscription and currently on the Tentative List; the timber roof is a reconstruction of the 1960s Timios StavrosΤίμιος ΣταυρόςHoly Cross Agia Eirini Panagia tou ArakosΠαναγία του ΆρακοςOur Lady of Arakos Lagoudera included in UNESCO inscription close examination during conservation and restoration work has indicated the use of the fresco technique for the 1192 paintings, with plaster joins revealing the giornate Stavros tou AgiasmatiΣταυρός του ΑγιασμάτιHoly Cross of Agiasmati Platanistasa included in UNESCO inscription Timios StavrosΤίμιος ΣταυρόςHoly Cross Kyperounta Timios StavrosΤίμιος ΣταυρόςHoly Cross Pelendri included in UNESCO inscription Panagia KatholikiΠαναγία ΚαθολικήVirgin Mary the Catholic Pelendri Timios StavrosΤίμιος ΣταυρόςHoly Cross Kouka Agia MavraΑγία ΜαύραSt. Mavra Koilani Agios GeorgiosΆγιος ΓεώργιοςSt. George Monagri Archangelos MichaelΑρχάγγελος ΜιχαήλArchangelos Michael Monagri Panagia AmasgouΠαναγία της ΑμασγούςOur Lady Amasgou Monagri Agios MamasΆγιος ΜάμαςSt. Mamas Louvaras Tou SoterosΜεταμόρφωση του ΣωτήροςTransfiguration of the Saviour Palaichori Oreinis included in UNESCO inscription Panagia ChrysopantanassaΠαναγία η ΧρυσοπαντάνασσαVirgin Mary Chrysopantanassa Palaichori Oreinis Timios ProdomosΤιμιος ΠροδρομοςSt. John the Precursor Askas Agia ChristinaΑγία ΧριστίναSt. Christina Askas Agios Ioannis LampadistisΆγιος Ιωάννης ο ΛαμπαδιστήςSt. John Lampadistis Kalopanagiotis included in UNESCO inscription Agioi Andronikos kai AthanasiaΑγίoi Ανδρόνικοs και ΑθανασίαSaints Andronicus and Athanasia Kalopanagiotis Panagia tou MoutoullaΠαναγία του ΜουτουλλάOur Lady of Moutoullas Moutoullas included in UNESCO inscription Archangelos MichaelΑρχάγγελος ΜιχαήλArchangel Michael Pedoulas included in UNESCO inscription Timios StavrosΤιμιος ΣταυροςHoly Cross Palaiomylos Panagia KardiovastouzaΠαναγία η KαρδιοβαστάζουσαVirgin Mary who Holds the Heart Kaminaria Agios VasiliosΆγιος ΒασίλειοςSt. Basil Kaminaria Katakomba Agia SolomoniΚατακόμβη Αγίας ΣολομωνήςCatacomb of St. Solomoni Paphos Enkleistra kai Monasteri tou Agiou NeophytouΕγκλείστρα και Μοναστήρι του Αγίου ΝεοφύτουEnkleistra and Monastery of Agios Neophytos Tala see Neophytos of Cyprus Agia ParaskeviΑγία ΠαρασκευήSt. Paraskevi Yeroskipou Panagia KatholikiΠαναγία ΚαθολικήVirgin Mary the Catholic Kouklia Palaia EnkleistraΠαλαιά ΕγκλείστραPalaea Enkleistra Kouklia Agios NikolaosΆγιος ΝικόλαοςSt. Nicholas Galataria Agios TheodosiosΆγιος ΘεοδόσιοςSt. Theodosius Akhelia Panagia ChryseleousaΠαναγία ΧρυσελεούσαVirgin Mary Chryseleousa Emba Agios KirykosΆγιος ΚήρυκοςSt. Kirykos Letymvou Archangelos MichaelΑρχάγγελος ΜιχαήλArchangel Michael Kholi Agioi ApostoloiΆγιοι ΑπόστολοιHoly Apostles Pera Chorio Agios DemetrianosΆγιος ΔημητριανόςSt. Demetrianus Dali Agia AikateriniΑγία ΑικατερίνηSt. Catherine Pyrga Agia MarinaΑγία ΜαρίναSt. Marina Pyrga Agios AntoniosΆγιος ΑντώνιοςSt. Anthony Kellia Agios GeorgiosΆγιος ΓεώργιοςSt. George Xylofagou Agios Georgios tis ArperasΆγιος Γεώργιος της ΆρπεραςSt. George of Arpera Tersefanou Archangelos MichaelΑρχάγγελος ΜιχαήλArchangel Michael Kato Lefkara Agia MavraΑγία ΜαύραSt. Mavra Kyrenia KhrysokavaΧρυσοκάβαKhrysokava Kyrenia Agios Ioannis ChrysostomosΆγιος Ιωάννης ΧρυσόστομοςSt. John Chrysostom Koutsovendis the wall paintings in the chapel of the Holy Trinity, dating to c. 1100, were documented and conserved by a team from Dumbarton Oaks under Cyril Mango in the 1960s; they have been whitewashed and covered in large sheets of paper since 1974 Panagia AphendrikaΠαναγία ΑφέντρικαOur Lady of Aphendrika Rizokarpaso AntiphonitisΧριστός ΑντιφωνητήςChrist Antiphonitis Kalograia some of the paintings, including most of the Tree of Jesse, were detached in the 1970s and have been found in the hands of private collectors Panagia TheotokosΠαναγία ΘεοτόκοςMost Holy Mother of God Trikomo Agios EvphemianosΆγιος ΕυφημιανόςSt. Euphemianos Lysi the detached thirteenth-century Pantrokrator was acquired for the Menil Collection and displayed at the Byzantine Fresco Chapel in Houston, Texas before its repatriation in 2012 Agios Ioannis EvangelistisΆγιος Ιωάννης ο ΕυαγγελιστήςCathedral of St. John the Evangelist Nicosia Agios SozomenosΆγιος ΣωζόμενοςSt. Sozomenos Potamia Agios AndronikosΑγίos ΑνδρόνικοsSt. Andronicus Polis Chrysochous Agioi Barnabas kai IlarionΑγίοι Βαρνάβας και ΙλαρίωνSaints Barnabas and Hilarion Peristerona Panagia PergaminiotissaΠαναγία ΠεργαμηνιώτισσαOur Lady Pergaminiotissa Akanthou Agios PhotiosΆγιος ΦώτιοςSt. Photius Yialousa Agia SolomoniΑγία ΣολομωνήSt. Solomoni Koma tou Yialou Agios NikolaosΆγιος ΝικόλαοςSt. Nicholas Koma tou Yialou Agia MavriΑγία ΜαύρήSt. Mavra Rizokarpaso Agios PhilonΆγιος ΦίλωνSt. Philon Rizokarpaso Agios ProkopiosΆγιος Προκόπιος St. Procopius Sygkrasi Panagia AvgasidaΠαναγία Αυγασίδα St. Augasida Aloa Panagia ApsinthiotissaΠαναγία ΑψινθιώτισσαOur Lady Apsinthiotissa Sichari some of the Byzantine wall paintings have been detached since 1974 and have since appeared on the antiquities market Agios Georgios ton HellenonΆγιος Γεώργιος των ΕλλήνωνSt. George of the Greeks Famagusta Panagia ChrysogialiotissaΠαναγία ΧρυσογιαλιώτισσαThe Golden Virgin of Gialia Gialia Agios Georgios ExorinosΆγιος Γεώργιος ο ΕξορινόςSt. George the Exiler Famagusta

See also Byzantine art Dionysius of Fourna Orthodox church architecture Painted Churches in the Troödos Region Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict

References

External links Department of Antiquities: Monuments