Latins of Cyprus_EN

THE LATINS OF CYPRUS 15 Independence Era: The 1960 Independence brought a new era for the Latins of Cyprus, who were recognised as a religious group and were now represented in Parliament by an elected Representative. During the 1963-1964 intercommunal troubles, the Latin-Cypriot community was not particularly affected. However, the second phase of the brutal 1974 military invasion by Turkey had an adverse impact on the Latin-Cypriot community as well: about 30 families from Nicosia, Famagusta, Kyrenia and Xeros became refugees; the renowned Bellapais Abbey, the Terra Santa Schools and Convents in Famagusta and Kormakitis, Saint Elisabeth’s church in Kyrenia, Saint Anthony’s chapel in Kontea and Saint Barbara’s chapel in Xeros were seized, while Nicosia’s Latin cemetery has since 1974 been inaccessible, as it is adjacent to the ceasefire line. Despite its losses, the small but affluent Latin community of Cyprus has continued to prosper in the remaining urban areas, contributing culturally and socioeconomically to the development of the island. Moreover, the Latin schools continue to provide excellent secular education to schoolchildren, regardless of ethnicity or religion. Over the past decades, the dynamics of the Latin-Cypriot community have changed with the increased number of marriages with Greek-Cypriots. Moreover, the last 30-35 years have seen the arrival of thousands of Roman Catholics from Eastern, Central and Western Europe, South-East Asia and Latin America, some of whom have settled permanently in Cyprus. l Saint Anthony’s chapel at the Lapierre manor in Kontea (1962). l View of Saint Catherine's church in Limassol.