The Maronites of Cyprus

THE MARONITES OF CYPRUS 20 ● Saint Anthony's chapel in Kythrea. ● The chapel of the Virgin Mary to the west of Kormakitis. ● Saint Marina’s church in Kochatis. Karpasha: The Holy Cross church, which dates to the 15th century, was fully renovated in 1924. In the church there are two priceless wooden crosses: the purely Byzantine cross dates to the 15th century, while the Cypriot-Byzantine cross dates to the 17th century. Asomatos: Mass is held at Archangel Michael church (1774) once a week. As the village is a military camp for the Turkish occupying forces, its inhabitants are only allowed to enter the village on Sundays, exclusively for the celebration of the Holy Mass. Ayia Marina: The old Saint Marina church (1650) remains inaccessible, while the new church (1972), which is also dedicated to the village’s patron Saint, has been officiated only four times since 1974: on 17 July 2010, 17 July 2011, 17 July 2012 and on 11 February 2012, during the visit of the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, Mar Bechara Boutros Rahi. Ayia Marina village was converted into a military base by Turkish occupation forces and its inhabitants are still denied access to their houses and churches. The Prophet Elias Monastery (1735) in Ayia Marina Skyllouras, which had for centuries been the spiritual centre of the Maronite community, was bombed during the second phase of the 1974 invasion and sustained serious damage – after the bombing, the monastery’s grounds were used by the Turkish army. The monastery celebrated the feast of Prophet Elias for the first time since 1974 on 23 July 2006, and ever since a pilgrimage is permitted every year in honour of the Prophet Elias feast. The UNDP-ACT made a donation in 2008 for the cleaning and fencing of the monastery.