Cyprus: Historical and DescriptiveLöher, Franz von
History
Cyprus: Historical and Descriptive
Löher, Franz von
Cyprus -- Description and travel; Cyprus -- History
A dignitary of the Greek Church may certainly be considered as much
more fortunately situated than any other official in Europe. During
his entire life he can mount a perfect Jacob’s ladder of preferments
and emoluments, and may don every shade of colour, in robes of black,
green, yellow, and red to rich purple; he can also exhibit a variety
of crosiers and mitres. The Archbishop of Cyprus, who has now obtained
the highest rank, signs his name with red ink, seals with the imperial
double-headed eagle, carries a shepherd’s crook, surmounted by a golden
orb, and bears a title enumerating his saintly and lordly attributes.
The income of this dignitary is derived from two sources—voluntary
offerings and tithes, and sums paid for dispensations, marriages, and
masses. The archbishop has many claims upon this revenue, and has
annually to send money to Constantinople, the Archbishop of Cyprus
being a vassal of the Sultan’s. The four bishops of Cyprus, though
chosen from its capital, are also compelled to obtain the consent
of this potentate to their election. The Greek priests are said to
average two per cent. of the whole population; it may therefore be
supposed that their position is a degraded one, and their incomes very
small. Many of those in Nikosia can scarcely do more than read the
services, and perform the various ceremonies with proper intelligence
and decorum, whilst those in the village curés are so reduced that they
must often resort to the mending of shoes, and tending of sheep and
cattle, to earn a bare livelihood.
The church of St. Katherine, now turned into a mosque, has a fine
entrance, adorned with three arches and pillars, with Corinthian
capitals. Two stately marble columns lie in the court-yard; these,
with their fine carved escutcheons, have been torn down by the Turks
and employed as seats. The graves of the brave defenders of the city
are still held in honour, and small cupolas are erected to mark their
resting places. The spot where the first Turk mounted and fell when the
city was stormed, is also distinguished by a small dome. The gravestone
is marble, and the coffin of wood, overshadowed by the green flag of
the Prophet. Nikosia can boast a very unusual number of churches and
mosques, and we are told that, when the city was at the height of
its glory, there were no less than two hundred and fifty chapels and
churches. Cyprus is also especially remarkable for the number of graves
of its saints.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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