Latins of Cyprus_EN

8 There is a longstanding link between Latins (Cypriot Roman Catholics of European descent) and Cyprus, dating back to 1126, when privileged merchants from Venice and Genoa settled on the island. However, the history of the Latin community in Cyprus actually began in 1192, when the titular Frankish King of Jerusalem, Guy de Lusignan, purchased the island from the crusader King of England, Richard I the Lionheart, who had seized it in 1191. In his attempt to establish a Western-type feudal kingdom, the new lord of Cyprus sent emissaries to Western Europe, Cilicia and the Levant, inviting to the island bourgeois, noblemen, knights and warriors; consequently, a massive migration of Roman Catholic Christians and other peoples took place, to whom fiefs, manors and privileges were generously granted. Frankish and Venetian Era: In 1196 the Latin Archbishopric was established in Nicosia, together with three Bishoprics (Famagusta, Limassol and Pafos). As a result, throughout the Frankish and the Venetian Eras (1192- 1489 and 1489-1570, respectively), a number of Latin religious orders arrived on the island: Augustinians, Benedictines, Carmelites, Carthusians, Cistercians, Crusaders, Dominicans, Franciscans, Observantines, Premonstratensians (founders of the renowned Bellapais Abbey), as well as the religious-military orders of Saint Thomas, the Teutonic Knights, the Hospitallers and the Templars; the latter two were responsible for internal security and were based at Kolossi, where their Grand Commandery was located. This estate, referred to as “La Grande Commanderie,” is also from where the famous Cypriot dessert wine, “Commandaria,” derives its name, as it was produced at the vineyards of the region. A Brief History THE LATINS OF CYPRUS l Kolossi castle in the Limassol district.