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Cypriot Orthodox Church

2007-12-26T06:26:06Z

Kouros8:

The ancient '''[[Cyprus|Cypriot]] Greek Orthodox Church''' ([[Greek]]: '''Εκκλησία της Κύπρου''') is one of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church organization|fourteen or fifteen]] independent ('autocephalous') [[Eastern Orthodox church]]es, which are in communion and in doctrinal agreement with one another but not all subject to one patriarch. It is one of the oldest autocephalous churches. The bishop of the capital, [[Salamis, Cyprus|Salamis]] (Konstantia), was constituted metropolitan by [[Emperor Zeno]], with the title of ''archbishop''.

The Apostle [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]], accompaniedby [[Barnabas]] and [[Mark the Evangelist|Mark]] (Barnabas' nephew), came to Cyprus in [[45]] AD to spread [[Christianity]]. Arriving at Salamis, they travelled across the island to Paphos, where Sergius Paulus was the first Roman official to convert to Christianity. In [[50]] AD St Barnabas returned to Cyprus accompanied by St Mark and set up his base in Salamis. He is considered to be the first Archbishop of Cyprus. In [[57]] AD, St Barnabas was stoned to death by the Jews on the outskirts of Salamis, where he was also buried. He thus became one of the first martyrs of Christianity.

A few of the Bishops who helped spread Christianity on the island were Lazarus, the Bishop of Kition, Herakleidios the Bishop of Tamasos, Avxivios the Bishop of Soloi, and Theodotos the Bishop of [[Kyrenia]].

Towards the end of the [[4th century]], Christianity had spread throughout the island. During this time [[Epiphanius of Salamis|St Epiphanius]] was Archbishop. His seat was in Salamis, which was renamed Constantia.

This independent position by ancient custom was recognized, against the claims of the [[Patriarch of Antioch]], at the [[Council of Ephesus]] ([[431]] CE), and by an edict of the Byzantine emperor Zeno. When the Archbishop of Antioch tried to abolish the Cyprus church's autocephaly, the Cypriot clergy denounced this before the [[Council of Ephesus|Third Ecumenical Synod]], which convened in [[434]] AD in [[Ephesos]]. The Synod ratified the autocephaly of the Church of Cyprus by its 8th canon. In [[478]] AD, Archbishop Anthemios of Cyprus, following a vision, found the grave of St Barnabas and his remains. On St Barnabas's chest rested a copy of [[Matthew the Evangelist|St Mathew]]'s Gospel. The church had sent a cogent argument on its own behalf to the Emperor the alleged body of its reputed founder [[Barnabas]], just then having been most opportunely discovered at Salamis by Archbishop Anthemios. Zeno confirmed the status of the Church of Cyprus and granted its Archbishop the '''''"three privileges"''''': namely to sign his name in '''cinnabar''', an ink made [[vermilion]] by the addition of the mineral cinnabar; to wear purple instead of black robes under his vestments; and to hold an imperial sceptre instead of a normal episcopal crosier.

Cyprus suffered greatly from Arab invasions in the following centuries, and during the reign of [[Justinian II]] the cities of [[Salamis]] (Constantia), Kourion and [[Paphos]] were sacked. At the advice of the Emperor, the Archbishop fled to the [[Hellespont]] along with the survivors, and established the city of '''''Nova Justiniana''''' (Greek: Νέα Ιουστινιανή), named after the Emperor, near the city of [[Cyzicus]]. In [[692]] the [[Quinisext Council]] (also called "in Trullo") reconfirmed the status and privileges of the exiled Archbishop and in [[698]], when the Arabs were driven out of Cyprus, the Archbishop returned but retained the title of '''''"Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus"''''': a custom that, along with the "three privileges", continues to this day.

After the establishment of [[Kingdom of Cyprus]] the Catholic kings gradually reduced the number of orthodox bishops from 14 to 4 and forced those away from their towns. The archbishop was moved from Nicosia to the region of Solia, near [[Morphou]], the bishop of [[Larnaca]] was moved to the village of Lefkara etc. Each orthodox bishop was under the Catholic bishop of the area. The Catholic church tried on occasion to force the orthodox bishops to make concessions on the differences in doctrine and practices between the two churches, sometimes with threats and sometimes using violence and torture, as in the case of the 13 monks in Kantara. Moreover the properties of many monasteries were confiscated. The persecutions, especially during the Frankish period, did not succeed in uprooting the faith of the Orthodox Greek Cypriots.

The Franks were succeeded by the Venetiand in 1489 without any significant change to the status of the orthodox church. The conquest of Cyprus by the Ottoman Empire in [[1571]] led to the recognition of the Orthodox church as the only legal Christian church. The church was considered by the Ottomans to be the political leadership of the Christian population (Rum millet) and was responsible for collecting taxes. Because of the different policies of the Ottoman empire towards Muslim and non Muslim citizens, especially regarding taxation, certain Christians converted to Islam. These are known in Cyprus with the name "Linopampakoi".

Attempts were made subsequently by the patriarchs of Antioch to claim authority over the Cypriot Church, the last as recently as [[1600]], but in vain.

Nevertheless, during the Cyprus under the Ottoman period (1571-1878) Cyprus went through hard times. People lived in insecurity and their life and property was constantly at the disposal of the Ottomans. The role of the Church in the preservation of faith, national identity and traditions of orthodox Greek cypriots was particularly important. The churches were not mere places of worship but were transformed to schools and places of ethnic inspiration.

The [[War of Independence|revolution in Greece]] in 1821, together with information of a revolutionary movement in Cyprus, resulted in the execution of [[Archbishop Kyprianos of Cyprus|Archbishop Kyprianos]] on [[July 9]], [[1821]] and Bishops Chrysanthos of Paphos, Meletios of Kitium, Lavrentios of Kyrenia, of the Abbot Josef of the Kykkos Monastery and other notables, clergymen and common people.

In [[1872]] archbishop Sofronios of Cyprus partipated in a council in [[Constantinople]] which condemned nationalism, triggered by the unilateral declaration of autocephaly by the Bulgarian church.

The purchase of Cyprus by the British in [[1878]] allowed more freedom in religious practices, such as the use of bells in churches (which were forbidden under the Ottomans). Some linopampakoi took advantage of the political change to convert back to christianity.

John Hackett published "A history of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus" in [[1901]]. At about the same time the church went through a crisis regarding the succession of the archbishop. The two candidates, [[Kyrillos II]] and [[Kyrillos III]] had mainly political differences (one was a nationalist whereas the other was a moderate).

Despite that Church gained more freedom by British, however, the British Administration interfered, in certain cases, using restrictive laws on the management of the Church and other areas of national and cultural activity. This led to the October [[1931]] riot organised by bishops who were also members of the legislative assembly. As a consequence of this uprise, the Bishops Nikodemos of Kition, and [[Makarios II|Makarios of Kyrenia]] were exiled and restrictions were imposed on the election of the Archbishop. As a result the filling of the Archbishop's throne was pending from [[1933]] (death of Archbishop Kyrillos the 3rd) to [[1946]], when the Bishop of Paphos Leontios was elected as the new Archbishop.

In [[1950]], [[Makarios III]] was elected Archbishop. While still bishop of Kition he had demonstrated strong intellectual and national activity. In 1949 he founded the Seminary «Apostle Varnavas» and in [[1950]] he organised the referendum on the Union ([[Enosis]]) between Cyprus and [[Greece]]. While archbishop he was the political leader of the [[EOKA]] liberation struggle in the years [[1955]]-[[1959]]. The British exiled him to the Seychelles because of his activities.

In [[1960]], Archbishop Makarios III was elected President of the newly established Republic of Cyprus. Disagreements of the other 3 bishops with Makarios lead to the [[Ecclesiastical coup]]. Following the dethronement of the Bishops of Paphos, Kitium and [[Kyrenia]] for conspiring against Makarios, two new Bishoprics were created: the Bishopric of [[Limassol]] which was detached from the Bishopric of Kition, and the Bishopric of Morfou which was detached from the Bishopric of Kyrenia. The Coup d'état of [[July 15]], [[1974]] forced Archbishop Makarios III to leave the island. He returned in December 1974.

The coup was followed by the [[Turkish Invasion of Cyprus|Turkish invasion]] of [[July 20]] 1974 which affected significantly the Church and its flock: as 35% of Cyprus' territory came under Turkish occupation, hundreds of thousands of orthodox Christians were displaced and those that couldn't or didn't want to leave (20,000 initially) faced oppression. As of May [[2001]] figures only 421 Greek Cypriots and 155 Maronites remain in North Cyprus.

The destruction of Christian monuments was another important consequence. Churches containing Byzantine icons, frescoes and mosaics of incalculable value have been pillaged by antiquities dealers and sold on the black market. One of the most characteristic cases of pillage has been the case of the mosaics of Panayia of Kanakaria of the [[6th century]] AC, which were finally returned to the Church of Cyprus, following a ruling by the Indianapolis Court. In the occupied areas of Cyprus there are 514 churches, chapels and monasteries, many of whom were converted to mosques, museums or abandoned.

On [[August 3]], [[1977]], Archbishop Makarios died and was succeeded by Chrysostomos, the current Archbishop. In [[1979]], the new Statutory Charter of the Church of Cyprus was drawn up and approved replacing the old one of [[1914]].

==Holy Synod==
The Holy Synod of the Autocephalous Church of Cyprus is the highest Church Authority in Cyprus. Its task is to examine and provide solutions on all issues concerning the Church of Cyprus. It consists of his Beatitude the Archbishop of Cyprus as the Head of the Holy Synod, the Bishops of [[Paphos]], [[Kition]], [[Kyrenia]], [[Limassol]] and [[Morphou]], the Suffragan Bishops of Salamis, Trimithous and Arsinoe and the Bishop of Kykko Nikiforos, as regular members.

The Holy Synod meets regularly in the first week after [[Easter]] and in the first fortnight of the months of February and September. It meets in ad hoc sessions when it is deemed necessary or when two of its members put forward a request.

==See also==
*[[List of Archbishops of Cyprus]]

==Source==
*[http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/cyphome/govhome.nsf/LookupIDs/56EFF47249680FF2C2256AA2004554CC?OpenDocument&languageNo=1 Official Cypriot Government (About Church of Cyprus)]

==External links==
*[http://www.churchofcyprus.org.cy/ Orthodox Church of Cyprus], official site
*[http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-orthodox-cyprus.htm Orthodox Church of Cyprus], scholarly site

{{Credit wikipedia}}

[[Category:Eastern Orthodox churches]]

Cypriot Orthodox Church

2007-12-26T06:25:23Z

Kouros8:

The ancient '''[[Cyprus|Cypriot]]Orthodox Church''' ([[Greek]]: '''Εκκλησία της Κύπρου''') is one of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church organization|fourteen or fifteen]] independent ('autocephalous') [[Eastern Orthodox church]]es, which are in communion and in doctrinal agreement with one another but not all subject to one patriarch. It is one of the oldest autocephalous churches. The bishop of the capital, [[Salamis, Cyprus|Salamis]] (Konstantia), was constituted metropolitan by [[Emperor Zeno]], with the title of ''archbishop''.

The Apostle [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]], accompaniedby [[Barnabas]] and [[Mark the Evangelist|Mark]] (Barnabas' nephew), came to Cyprus in [[45]] AD to spread [[Christianity]]. Arriving at Salamis, they travelled across the island to Paphos, where Sergius Paulus was the first Roman official to convert to Christianity. In [[50]] AD St Barnabas returned to Cyprus accompanied by St Mark and set up his base in Salamis. He is considered to be the first Archbishop of Cyprus. In [[57]] AD, St Barnabas was stoned to death by the Jews on the outskirts of Salamis, where he was also buried. He thus became one of the first martyrs of Christianity.

A few of the Bishops who helped spread Christianity on the island were Lazarus, the Bishop of Kition, Herakleidios the Bishop of Tamasos, Avxivios the Bishop of Soloi, and Theodotos the Bishop of [[Kyrenia]].

Towards the end of the [[4th century]], Christianity had spread throughout the island. During this time [[Epiphanius of Salamis|St Epiphanius]] was Archbishop. His seat was in Salamis, which was renamed Constantia.

This independent position by ancient custom was recognized, against the claims of the [[Patriarch of Antioch]], at the [[Council of Ephesus]] ([[431]] CE), and by an edict of the Byzantine emperor Zeno. When the Archbishop of Antioch tried to abolish the Cyprus church's autocephaly, the Cypriot clergy denounced this before the [[Council of Ephesus|Third Ecumenical Synod]], which convened in [[434]] AD in [[Ephesos]]. The Synod ratified the autocephaly of the Church of Cyprus by its 8th canon. In [[478]] AD, Archbishop Anthemios of Cyprus, following a vision, found the grave of St Barnabas and his remains. On St Barnabas's chest rested a copy of [[Matthew the Evangelist|St Mathew]]'s Gospel. The church had sent a cogent argument on its own behalf to the Emperor the alleged body of its reputed founder [[Barnabas]], just then having been most opportunely discovered at Salamis by Archbishop Anthemios. Zeno confirmed the status of the Church of Cyprus and granted its Archbishop the '''''"three privileges"''''': namely to sign his name in '''cinnabar''', an ink made [[vermilion]] by the addition of the mineral cinnabar; to wear purple instead of black robes under his vestments; and to hold an imperial sceptre instead of a normal episcopal crosier.

Cyprus suffered greatly from Arab invasions in the following centuries, and during the reign of [[Justinian II]] the cities of [[Salamis]] (Constantia), Kourion and [[Paphos]] were sacked. At the advice of the Emperor, the Archbishop fled to the [[Hellespont]] along with the survivors, and established the city of '''''Nova Justiniana''''' (Greek: Νέα Ιουστινιανή), named after the Emperor, near the city of [[Cyzicus]]. In [[692]] the [[Quinisext Council]] (also called "in Trullo") reconfirmed the status and privileges of the exiled Archbishop and in [[698]], when the Arabs were driven out of Cyprus, the Archbishop returned but retained the title of '''''"Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus"''''': a custom that, along with the "three privileges", continues to this day.

After the establishment of [[Kingdom of Cyprus]] the Catholic kings gradually reduced the number of orthodox bishops from 14 to 4 and forced those away from their towns. The archbishop was moved from Nicosia to the region of Solia, near [[Morphou]], the bishop of [[Larnaca]] was moved to the village of Lefkara etc. Each orthodox bishop was under the Catholic bishop of the area. The Catholic church tried on occasion to force the orthodox bishops to make concessions on the differences in doctrine and practices between the two churches, sometimes with threats and sometimes using violence and torture, as in the case of the 13 monks in Kantara. Moreover the properties of many monasteries were confiscated. The persecutions, especially during the Frankish period, did not succeed in uprooting the faith of the Orthodox Greek Cypriots.

The Franks were succeeded by the Venetiand in 1489 without any significant change to the status of the orthodox church. The conquest of Cyprus by the Ottoman Empire in [[1571]] led to the recognition of the Orthodox church as the only legal Christian church. The church was considered by the Ottomans to be the political leadership of the Christian population (Rum millet) and was responsible for collecting taxes. Because of the different policies of the Ottoman empire towards Muslim and non Muslim citizens, especially regarding taxation, certain Christians converted to Islam. These are known in Cyprus with the name "Linopampakoi".

Attempts were made subsequently by the patriarchs of Antioch to claim authority over the Cypriot Church, the last as recently as [[1600]], but in vain.

Nevertheless, during the Cyprus under the Ottoman period (1571-1878) Cyprus went through hard times. People lived in insecurity and their life and property was constantly at the disposal of the Ottomans. The role of the Church in the preservation of faith, national identity and traditions of orthodox Greek cypriots was particularly important. The churches were not mere places of worship but were transformed to schools and places of ethnic inspiration.

The [[War of Independence|revolution in Greece]] in 1821, together with information of a revolutionary movement in Cyprus, resulted in the execution of [[Archbishop Kyprianos of Cyprus|Archbishop Kyprianos]] on [[July 9]], [[1821]] and Bishops Chrysanthos of Paphos, Meletios of Kitium, Lavrentios of Kyrenia, of the Abbot Josef of the Kykkos Monastery and other notables, clergymen and common people.

In [[1872]] archbishop Sofronios of Cyprus partipated in a council in [[Constantinople]] which condemned nationalism, triggered by the unilateral declaration of autocephaly by the Bulgarian church.

The purchase of Cyprus by the British in [[1878]] allowed more freedom in religious practices, such as the use of bells in churches (which were forbidden under the Ottomans). Some linopampakoi took advantage of the political change to convert back to christianity.

John Hackett published "A history of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus" in [[1901]]. At about the same time the church went through a crisis regarding the succession of the archbishop. The two candidates, [[Kyrillos II]] and [[Kyrillos III]] had mainly political differences (one was a nationalist whereas the other was a moderate).

Despite that Church gained more freedom by British, however, the British Administration interfered, in certain cases, using restrictive laws on the management of the Church and other areas of national and cultural activity. This led to the October [[1931]] riot organised by bishops who were also members of the legislative assembly. As a consequence of this uprise, the Bishops Nikodemos of Kition, and [[Makarios II|Makarios of Kyrenia]] were exiled and restrictions were imposed on the election of the Archbishop. As a result the filling of the Archbishop's throne was pending from [[1933]] (death of Archbishop Kyrillos the 3rd) to [[1946]], when the Bishop of Paphos Leontios was elected as the new Archbishop.

In [[1950]], [[Makarios III]] was elected Archbishop. While still bishop of Kition he had demonstrated strong intellectual and national activity. In 1949 he founded the Seminary «Apostle Varnavas» and in [[1950]] he organised the referendum on the Union ([[Enosis]]) between Cyprus and [[Greece]]. While archbishop he was the political leader of the [[EOKA]] liberation struggle in the years [[1955]]-[[1959]]. The British exiled him to the Seychelles because of his activities.

In [[1960]], Archbishop Makarios III was elected President of the newly established Republic of Cyprus. Disagreements of the other 3 bishops with Makarios lead to the [[Ecclesiastical coup]]. Following the dethronement of the Bishops of Paphos, Kitium and [[Kyrenia]] for conspiring against Makarios, two new Bishoprics were created: the Bishopric of [[Limassol]] which was detached from the Bishopric of Kition, and the Bishopric of Morfou which was detached from the Bishopric of Kyrenia. The Coup d'état of [[July 15]], [[1974]] forced Archbishop Makarios III to leave the island. He returned in December 1974.

The coup was followed by the [[Turkish Invasion of Cyprus|Turkish invasion]] of [[July 20]] 1974 which affected significantly the Church and its flock: as 35% of Cyprus' territory came under Turkish occupation, hundreds of thousands of orthodox Christians were displaced and those that couldn't or didn't want to leave (20,000 initially) faced oppression. As of May [[2001]] figures only 421 Greek Cypriots and 155 Maronites remain in North Cyprus.

The destruction of Christian monuments was another important consequence. Churches containing Byzantine icons, frescoes and mosaics of incalculable value have been pillaged by antiquities dealers and sold on the black market. One of the most characteristic cases of pillage has been the case of the mosaics of Panayia of Kanakaria of the [[6th century]] AC, which were finally returned to the Church of Cyprus, following a ruling by the Indianapolis Court. In the occupied areas of Cyprus there are 514 churches, chapels and monasteries, many of whom were converted to mosques, museums or abandoned.

On [[August 3]], [[1977]], Archbishop Makarios died and was succeeded by Chrysostomos, the current Archbishop. In [[1979]], the new Statutory Charter of the Church of Cyprus was drawn up and approved replacing the old one of [[1914]].

==Holy Synod==
The Holy Synod of the Autocephalous Church of Cyprus is the highest Church Authority in Cyprus. Its task is to examine and provide solutions on all issues concerning the Church of Cyprus. It consists of his Beatitude the Archbishop of Cyprus as the Head of the Holy Synod, the Bishops of [[Paphos]], [[Kition]], [[Kyrenia]], [[Limassol]] and [[Morphou]], the Suffragan Bishops of Salamis, Trimithous and Arsinoe and the Bishop of Kykko Nikiforos, as regular members.

The Holy Synod meets regularly in the first week after [[Easter]] and in the first fortnight of the months of February and September. It meets in ad hoc sessions when it is deemed necessary or when two of its members put forward a request.

==See also==
*[[List of Archbishops of Cyprus]]

==Source==
*[http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/cyphome/govhome.nsf/LookupIDs/56EFF47249680FF2C2256AA2004554CC?OpenDocument&languageNo=1 Official Cypriot Government (About Church of Cyprus)]

==External links==
*[http://www.churchofcyprus.org.cy/ Orthodox Church of Cyprus], official site
*[http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-orthodox-cyprus.htm Orthodox Church of Cyprus], scholarly site

{{Credit wikipedia}}

[[Category:Eastern Orthodox churches]]

Makarios III

2007-12-26T06:22:02Z

Kouros8:

'''Makarios''' was the adopted clerical name of Michail Christodoulou Mouskos ([[August 13]], [[1913]] – [[August 3]], [[1977]]). Makarios was Archbishop and Primate of the autocephalous [[Cypriot Orthodox Church]] (1950-77) and first [[Presidents of Cyprus|President]] of the Republic of [[Cyprus]] (1960-77).

===Early life, studies and church career (1913-50)===
Mouskos was born in the village of Panayia in the [[Paphos province]] on [[August 13]], [[1913]]. In [[1926]], at the age of 13, he was admitted to Kykko Monastery as a novice, and was educated there and at [[Lefkosia]] and [[Athens]], graduating in 1942 with a degree in Theology. He took up the duties of a priest in the Orthodox Church while sustaining an interest in academic theology, and in 1938 received a World Council of Churches scholarship to undertake further study at Boston University, Massachusetts, USA.

In 1948, while still studying at Boston, he was elected Bishop of Kition. Mouskos adopted the clerical name Makarios and returned to Cyprus.

Makarios was a charismatic and popular figure in Cyprus, but his relationship with the British authorities was fraught. Like many public figures in the Greek Cypriot community on Cyprus, in the [[1940s]] and [[1950s]] he was an active supporter of [[Enosis]], the union of Cyprus with [[Greece]].

===Enosism and EOKA (1950-55)===
In 1950, Makarios was elected Archbishop of Cyprus. In this role he was not only the official head of the Orthodox Church in Cyprus, but became the Ethnarch, de facto leader of the Greek Cypriot community. This highly influential position put Makarios at the centre of Cypriot politics.

During the 1950s Makarios embraced his dual role as Archbishop and Ethnarch with enthusiasm and became a very popular figure among Greek Cypriots. He soon became a leading advocate for Enosis, and during the early part of the decade he maintained close links with the [[Greece|Greek]] government. In August 1954, partly at Makarios’s instigation, Greece began to raise the ‘Cyprus Question’ at the United Nations, arguing for the principle of self-determination to be applied to Cyprus. This was viewed by advocates of Enosis as likely to result in the voluntary union of Cyprus with Greece following a public plebiscite.

However, the British government were reluctant to decolonise the island. The 1950s were a troubled decade for the British Empire and the cause of Enosis was quickly and amorphously allied to the idea of independence. In 1955, a new organisation was formed under the banner of [[EOKA|‘Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston’]] (in English ‘National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters’), under the leadership of [[Georgios Grivas]], which conducted an armed struggle against the British occupation of Cyprus.

===Escalation, ‘[[Taksim]]’ and independence (1955-60)===
In October 1955, with the security situation deteriorating, the British Governor, [[Sir John Harding]], opened talks on the island’s future. By this stage, Makarios had become closely identified with the struggle, and talks broke up without any agreement in early 1956. Makarios, characterised in the British press as a crooked Greek priest and viewed with suspicion by the British authorities, was seized at Lefkosia Airport and exiled to the Seychelles on [[March 9]]. EOKA continued its campaign of protests and armed resistance during this period.

In the latter years of the [[1950s]], the Turkish Cypriot community first began to float the idea of ‘[[Taksim]]’ or ‘Partition’, as a counterweight to the Greek ideal of ‘Enosis’ or ‘Union’. Advocates of Taksim felt that the Turkish Cypriot community would be persecuted in a Greek Cyprus, and that only by keeping part of the island under either British or Turkish sovereignty could the safety of the Turkish Cypriots be guaranteed. In this way the ‘Cyprus Question’ became increasingly polarised between two communities with opposing visions of the future of the island.

Makarios was released from exile after a year, although he was still forbidden to return to Cyprus. He went instead to Athens, where he was rapturously received. Basing himself in the Greek capital, he continued to work for Cypriot freedom. Negotiations in [[1958]] generated the Zurich Agreement as a basis for a deal on the independence of Cyprus- as the British would not hear of Enosis - and Makarios was invited to London in 1959 to fine-tune the plan. On [[March 1]], [[1959]] the archbishop returned to Cyprus to an unprecedented reception in [[Lefkosia]], where almost two-thirds of the adult Greek Cypriot population turned out to welcome him. Presidential elections were held on [[December 13|13 December]] [[1959]] and Makarios roundly defeated his rival, lawyer John Clerides – father of future president and Makarios ally [[Glafkos Clerides]] – receiving two-thirds of the vote. Makarios was to become the political leader of all Cyprus as well as the communal leader of the Greek Cypriots.

===Primacy and Presidency (1960-63)===
After his election Makarios, together with the Vice-President-elect, Dr Fazil Kucuk, continued to draw up plans for Cyprus’s future. By now, Makarios – always a canny politician – had accepted that Enosis was not to be in the foreseeable future and that the only outcome which could secure harmony in Cyprus was robust independence. Taking office on 16 August 1960, the day the British flag was finally lowered in Lefkosia, Makarios now pursued a policy of non-alignment, cultivating good relations with Turkey as well as Greece and becoming a high-profile member of the Non-Aligned Movement. He attended the Belgrade NAM conference in 1961, and unnerved the governments in London and Washington with his lukewarm policy towards the West. This was seen in the US as unpredictability and a tendency towards Communism and Makarios was vilifed as a ‘Castro of the Mediterranean’, although he had by now been rehabilitated in the British press and was affectionately nicknamed ‘Black Mak’ on account of his clerical garb.

===Makarios and the Cyprus Problem (1963-74)===
The idea of an independent path for Cyprus had not taken root among the general public and the political scene was still highly polarised. There was increasing acrimony between Turkish and Greek Cypriots about the workings of the constitution and Makarios was forced to act to salvage the machinery of state from imminent collapse. In November [[1963]], Makarios proposed Thirteen Amendments to the Constitution, which would free up many public offices from the ethnic restrictions agreed in London and Zurich. This, he argued, would allow the government to operate more efficiently and bring together the communities by dissolving rigid inter-ethnic legal boundaries. However, the Amendments were seen by many Turkish Cypriots as threatening constitutional protections for them against domination by the majority Greek Cypriots. In response to Makarios’ proposals, most Turkish Cypriots in public office, including Vice-President Kucuk, resigned, and large numbers of Turkish Cypriots moved out of ethnically-mixed areas into villages and towns where the population was already largely Turkish Cypriot. There is still dispute over the motives for this, some arguing that it was made necessary by the intimidation of the Turkish Cypriots by the Greek Cypriots, and others suggesting that the Turkish community was sabotaging the Cypriot settlement and already preparing for partition by Turkey. An armed struggle by the Turkish community was quickly answered by the Greek side and war was threatened between Greece and Turkey.

The political landscape in Cyprus remained interminable. UN peacekeeping operations (UNFICYP) commenced in 1964 and helped to soothe, but not to solve, the situation. Makarios continued his high-profile neutrality, but ultimately failed either to reassure the Turkish Cypriots that they were safe in an independent Cyprus, or to convince the Greek Cypriots that independence was a satisfactory alternative to assimilation within a Greater Greece. By 1967, when the military [[junta]] seized power in Athens, Makarios was viewed in Greece as a left-wing renegade who had failed to deliver on the promise of Enosis. Accordingly, the Greek colonels sponsored a right-wing coup in Lefkosia on [[15 July]] [[1974]]. Makarios fled and was replaced by [[Nikos Sampson]], a newspaper editor and former freedom fighter during the EOKA era. Sampson’s presidential career was short-lived, however, as the [[junta|regime in Athens]] collapsed only a few days later after Turkey invaded the island on [[20 July]] [[1974]]. Unsupported, Sampson resigned, and the former constitution was restored. In the continuing absence of a Vice-President, the presidency passed to the Speaker of the [[House of Representatives of Cyprus|House of Representatives]], [[Glafkos Clerides]]. The restoration of the old order did not prevent Turkey from staging a second operation, one month later, and seizing nearly 40% of Cyprus creating 200,000 refugees in the process.

Makarios remained in London for five months. Having succeeded in securing international recognition that his administration was the rightful government of the whole island, he returned to Cyprus and focussed solely on restoring Cypriot territorial integrity. He was not successful. Turkey has remained in occupation ever since and the situation is still unresolved.

===Death and Legacy===
Makarios III died unexpectedly on [[August 3]], [[1977]] of a heart attack. He is buried in a tomb in the mountains near Kykko Monastery, where he served as a novice in the 1920s and 30s. An imposing bronze statue of Makarios was erected outside the Presidential Palace in [[Nicosia]].

He remains a controversial figure, reviled by some as a traitor to the Enosist cause but admired by many as a national hero. In any case he is possibly the most significant figure in recent Cypriot politics, and his efforts to secure international consensus on the legitimacy of the Greek Cypriot government after 1974 have provided the backdrop against which the whole recent political history of the Cyprus Question has been played out.

{{start box}}
{{succession box|title=[[Presidents of Cyprus|President of Cyprus]]|before=''first holder''|after=[[Nikos Sampson]]|years=1960– 1974 (Jul)}}
{{succession box|title=[[Presidents of Cyprus|President of Cyprus]]|before=[[Glafkos Clerides]] (interim)|after=[[Spyros Kyprianou]] (1977-88)|years=1974 (Dec)–1977}}
{{end box}}

===Links===
[http://www.cyprus-conflict.net/makarios%20-%20interview%20with%20fallaci.htm Text of Makarios III's famous interview with Orianna Fallaci, given in 1974]

[http://newssearch.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?scope=otd&tab=otd&order=sortboth&q=Makarios A series of stories from the BBC relating to Makarios]

[[Category:1913 births|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:1977 deaths|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:Presidents of Cyprus|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:Archbishops of Cyprus|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:EOKA struggle (1955-1959)|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:Cypriot politicians|Makarios 3]]

Makarios III

2007-12-26T06:20:23Z

Kouros8:

'''Makarios''' was the adopted clerical name of Michail Christodoulou Mouskos ([[August 13]], [[1913]] – [[August 3]], [[1977]]). Makarios was Archbishop and Primate of the autocephalous Greek [[ Orthodox Church of Cyprus]] (1950-77) and first [[Presidents of Cyprus|President]] of the Republic of [[Cyprus]] (1960-77).

===Early life, studies and church career (1913-50)===
Mouskos was born in the village of Panayia in the [[Paphos province]] on [[August 13]], [[1913]]. In [[1926]], at the age of 13, he was admitted to Kykko Monastery as a novice, and was educated there and at [[Lefkosia]] and [[Athens]], graduating in 1942 with a degree in Theology. He took up the duties of a priest in the Orthodox Church while sustaining an interest in academic theology, and in 1938 received a World Council of Churches scholarship to undertake further study at Boston University, Massachusetts, USA.

In 1948, while still studying at Boston, he was elected Bishop of Kition. Mouskos adopted the clerical name Makarios and returned to Cyprus.

Makarios was a charismatic and popular figure in Cyprus, but his relationship with the British authorities was fraught. Like many public figures in the Greek Cypriot community on Cyprus, in the [[1940s]] and [[1950s]] he was an active supporter of [[Enosis]], the union of Cyprus with [[Greece]].

===Enosism and EOKA (1950-55)===
In 1950, Makarios was elected Archbishop of Cyprus. In this role he was not only the official head of the Orthodox Church in Cyprus, but became the Ethnarch, de facto leader of the Greek Cypriot community. This highly influential position put Makarios at the centre of Cypriot politics.

During the 1950s Makarios embraced his dual role as Archbishop and Ethnarch with enthusiasm and became a very popular figure among Greek Cypriots. He soon became a leading advocate for Enosis, and during the early part of the decade he maintained close links with the [[Greece|Greek]] government. In August 1954, partly at Makarios’s instigation, Greece began to raise the ‘Cyprus Question’ at the United Nations, arguing for the principle of self-determination to be applied to Cyprus. This was viewed by advocates of Enosis as likely to result in the voluntary union of Cyprus with Greece following a public plebiscite.

However, the British government were reluctant to decolonise the island. The 1950s were a troubled decade for the British Empire and the cause of Enosis was quickly and amorphously allied to the idea of independence. In 1955, a new organisation was formed under the banner of [[EOKA|‘Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston’]] (in English ‘National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters’), under the leadership of [[Georgios Grivas]], which conducted an armed struggle against the British occupation of Cyprus.

===Escalation, ‘[[Taksim]]’ and independence (1955-60)===
In October 1955, with the security situation deteriorating, the British Governor, [[Sir John Harding]], opened talks on the island’s future. By this stage, Makarios had become closely identified with the struggle, and talks broke up without any agreement in early 1956. Makarios, characterised in the British press as a crooked Greek priest and viewed with suspicion by the British authorities, was seized at Lefkosia Airport and exiled to the Seychelles on [[March 9]]. EOKA continued its campaign of protests and armed resistance during this period.

In the latter years of the [[1950s]], the Turkish Cypriot community first began to float the idea of ‘[[Taksim]]’ or ‘Partition’, as a counterweight to the Greek ideal of ‘Enosis’ or ‘Union’. Advocates of Taksim felt that the Turkish Cypriot community would be persecuted in a Greek Cyprus, and that only by keeping part of the island under either British or Turkish sovereignty could the safety of the Turkish Cypriots be guaranteed. In this way the ‘Cyprus Question’ became increasingly polarised between two communities with opposing visions of the future of the island.

Makarios was released from exile after a year, although he was still forbidden to return to Cyprus. He went instead to Athens, where he was rapturously received. Basing himself in the Greek capital, he continued to work for Cypriot freedom. Negotiations in [[1958]] generated the Zurich Agreement as a basis for a deal on the independence of Cyprus- as the British would not hear of Enosis - and Makarios was invited to London in 1959 to fine-tune the plan. On [[March 1]], [[1959]] the archbishop returned to Cyprus to an unprecedented reception in [[Lefkosia]], where almost two-thirds of the adult Greek Cypriot population turned out to welcome him. Presidential elections were held on [[December 13|13 December]] [[1959]] and Makarios roundly defeated his rival, lawyer John Clerides – father of future president and Makarios ally [[Glafkos Clerides]] – receiving two-thirds of the vote. Makarios was to become the political leader of all Cyprus as well as the communal leader of the Greek Cypriots.

===Primacy and Presidency (1960-63)===
After his election Makarios, together with the Vice-President-elect, Dr Fazil Kucuk, continued to draw up plans for Cyprus’s future. By now, Makarios – always a canny politician – had accepted that Enosis was not to be in the foreseeable future and that the only outcome which could secure harmony in Cyprus was robust independence. Taking office on 16 August 1960, the day the British flag was finally lowered in Lefkosia, Makarios now pursued a policy of non-alignment, cultivating good relations with Turkey as well as Greece and becoming a high-profile member of the Non-Aligned Movement. He attended the Belgrade NAM conference in 1961, and unnerved the governments in London and Washington with his lukewarm policy towards the West. This was seen in the US as unpredictability and a tendency towards Communism and Makarios was vilifed as a ‘Castro of the Mediterranean’, although he had by now been rehabilitated in the British press and was affectionately nicknamed ‘Black Mak’ on account of his clerical garb.

===Makarios and the Cyprus Problem (1963-74)===
The idea of an independent path for Cyprus had not taken root among the general public and the political scene was still highly polarised. There was increasing acrimony between Turkish and Greek Cypriots about the workings of the constitution and Makarios was forced to act to salvage the machinery of state from imminent collapse. In November [[1963]], Makarios proposed Thirteen Amendments to the Constitution, which would free up many public offices from the ethnic restrictions agreed in London and Zurich. This, he argued, would allow the government to operate more efficiently and bring together the communities by dissolving rigid inter-ethnic legal boundaries. However, the Amendments were seen by many Turkish Cypriots as threatening constitutional protections for them against domination by the majority Greek Cypriots. In response to Makarios’ proposals, most Turkish Cypriots in public office, including Vice-President Kucuk, resigned, and large numbers of Turkish Cypriots moved out of ethnically-mixed areas into villages and towns where the population was already largely Turkish Cypriot. There is still dispute over the motives for this, some arguing that it was made necessary by the intimidation of the Turkish Cypriots by the Greek Cypriots, and others suggesting that the Turkish community was sabotaging the Cypriot settlement and already preparing for partition by Turkey. An armed struggle by the Turkish community was quickly answered by the Greek side and war was threatened between Greece and Turkey.

The political landscape in Cyprus remained interminable. UN peacekeeping operations (UNFICYP) commenced in 1964 and helped to soothe, but not to solve, the situation. Makarios continued his high-profile neutrality, but ultimately failed either to reassure the Turkish Cypriots that they were safe in an independent Cyprus, or to convince the Greek Cypriots that independence was a satisfactory alternative to assimilation within a Greater Greece. By 1967, when the military [[junta]] seized power in Athens, Makarios was viewed in Greece as a left-wing renegade who had failed to deliver on the promise of Enosis. Accordingly, the Greek colonels sponsored a right-wing coup in Lefkosia on [[15 July]] [[1974]]. Makarios fled and was replaced by [[Nikos Sampson]], a newspaper editor and former freedom fighter during the EOKA era. Sampson’s presidential career was short-lived, however, as the [[junta|regime in Athens]] collapsed only a few days later after Turkey invaded the island on [[20 July]] [[1974]]. Unsupported, Sampson resigned, and the former constitution was restored. In the continuing absence of a Vice-President, the presidency passed to the Speaker of the [[House of Representatives of Cyprus|House of Representatives]], [[Glafkos Clerides]]. The restoration of the old order did not prevent Turkey from staging a second operation, one month later, and seizing nearly 40% of Cyprus creating 200,000 refugees in the process.

Makarios remained in London for five months. Having succeeded in securing international recognition that his administration was the rightful government of the whole island, he returned to Cyprus and focussed solely on restoring Cypriot territorial integrity. He was not successful. Turkey has remained in occupation ever since and the situation is still unresolved.

===Death and Legacy===
Makarios III died unexpectedly on [[August 3]], [[1977]] of a heart attack. He is buried in a tomb in the mountains near Kykko Monastery, where he served as a novice in the 1920s and 30s. An imposing bronze statue of Makarios was erected outside the Presidential Palace in [[Nicosia]].

He remains a controversial figure, reviled by some as a traitor to the Enosist cause but admired by many as a national hero. In any case he is possibly the most significant figure in recent Cypriot politics, and his efforts to secure international consensus on the legitimacy of the Greek Cypriot government after 1974 have provided the backdrop against which the whole recent political history of the Cyprus Question has been played out.

{{start box}}
{{succession box|title=[[Presidents of Cyprus|President of Cyprus]]|before=''first holder''|after=[[Nikos Sampson]]|years=1960– 1974 (Jul)}}
{{succession box|title=[[Presidents of Cyprus|President of Cyprus]]|before=[[Glafkos Clerides]] (interim)|after=[[Spyros Kyprianou]] (1977-88)|years=1974 (Dec)–1977}}
{{end box}}

===Links===
[http://www.cyprus-conflict.net/makarios%20-%20interview%20with%20fallaci.htm Text of Makarios III's famous interview with Orianna Fallaci, given in 1974]

[http://newssearch.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?scope=otd&tab=otd&order=sortboth&q=Makarios A series of stories from the BBC relating to Makarios]

[[Category:1913 births|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:1977 deaths|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:Presidents of Cyprus|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:Archbishops of Cyprus|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:EOKA struggle (1955-1959)|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:Cypriot politicians|Makarios 3]]

Makarios III

2007-12-26T06:19:22Z

Kouros8:

'''Makarios''' was the adopted clerical name of Michail Christodoulou Mouskos ([[August 13]], [[1913]] – [[August 3]], [[1977]]). Makarios was Archbishop and Primate of the autocephalous Greek Orthodox [[Church of Cyprus]] (1950-77) and first [[Presidents of Cyprus|President]] of the Republic of [[Cyprus]] (1960-77).

===Early life, studies and church career (1913-50)===
Mouskos was born in the village of Panayia in the [[Paphos province]] on [[August 13]], [[1913]]. In [[1926]], at the age of 13, he was admitted to Kykko Monastery as a novice, and was educated there and at [[Lefkosia]] and [[Athens]], graduating in 1942 with a degree in Theology. He took up the duties of a priest in the Orthodox Church while sustaining an interest in academic theology, and in 1938 received a World Council of Churches scholarship to undertake further study at Boston University, Massachusetts, USA.

In 1948, while still studying at Boston, he was elected Bishop of Kition. Mouskos adopted the clerical name Makarios and returned to Cyprus.

Makarios was a charismatic and popular figure in Cyprus, but his relationship with the British authorities was fraught. Like many public figures in the Greek Cypriot community on Cyprus, in the [[1940s]] and [[1950s]] he was an active supporter of [[Enosis]], the union of Cyprus with [[Greece]].

===Enosism and EOKA (1950-55)===
In 1950, Makarios was elected Archbishop of Cyprus. In this role he was not only the official head of the Orthodox Church in Cyprus, but became the Ethnarch, de facto leader of the Greek Cypriot community. This highly influential position put Makarios at the centre of Cypriot politics.

During the 1950s Makarios embraced his dual role as Archbishop and Ethnarch with enthusiasm and became a very popular figure among Greek Cypriots. He soon became a leading advocate for Enosis, and during the early part of the decade he maintained close links with the [[Greece|Greek]] government. In August 1954, partly at Makarios’s instigation, Greece began to raise the ‘Cyprus Question’ at the United Nations, arguing for the principle of self-determination to be applied to Cyprus. This was viewed by advocates of Enosis as likely to result in the voluntary union of Cyprus with Greece following a public plebiscite.

However, the British government were reluctant to decolonise the island. The 1950s were a troubled decade for the British Empire and the cause of Enosis was quickly and amorphously allied to the idea of independence. In 1955, a new organisation was formed under the banner of [[EOKA|‘Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston’]] (in English ‘National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters’), under the leadership of [[Georgios Grivas]], which conducted an armed struggle against the British occupation of Cyprus.

===Escalation, ‘[[Taksim]]’ and independence (1955-60)===
In October 1955, with the security situation deteriorating, the British Governor, [[Sir John Harding]], opened talks on the island’s future. By this stage, Makarios had become closely identified with the struggle, and talks broke up without any agreement in early 1956. Makarios, characterised in the British press as a crooked Greek priest and viewed with suspicion by the British authorities, was seized at Lefkosia Airport and exiled to the Seychelles on [[March 9]]. EOKA continued its campaign of protests and armed resistance during this period.

In the latter years of the [[1950s]], the Turkish Cypriot community first began to float the idea of ‘[[Taksim]]’ or ‘Partition’, as a counterweight to the Greek ideal of ‘Enosis’ or ‘Union’. Advocates of Taksim felt that the Turkish Cypriot community would be persecuted in a Greek Cyprus, and that only by keeping part of the island under either British or Turkish sovereignty could the safety of the Turkish Cypriots be guaranteed. In this way the ‘Cyprus Question’ became increasingly polarised between two communities with opposing visions of the future of the island.

Makarios was released from exile after a year, although he was still forbidden to return to Cyprus. He went instead to Athens, where he was rapturously received. Basing himself in the Greek capital, he continued to work for Cypriot freedom. Negotiations in [[1958]] generated the Zurich Agreement as a basis for a deal on the independence of Cyprus- as the British would not hear of Enosis - and Makarios was invited to London in 1959 to fine-tune the plan. On [[March 1]], [[1959]] the archbishop returned to Cyprus to an unprecedented reception in [[Lefkosia]], where almost two-thirds of the adult Greek Cypriot population turned out to welcome him. Presidential elections were held on [[December 13|13 December]] [[1959]] and Makarios roundly defeated his rival, lawyer John Clerides – father of future president and Makarios ally [[Glafkos Clerides]] – receiving two-thirds of the vote. Makarios was to become the political leader of all Cyprus as well as the communal leader of the Greek Cypriots.

===Primacy and Presidency (1960-63)===
After his election Makarios, together with the Vice-President-elect, Dr Fazil Kucuk, continued to draw up plans for Cyprus’s future. By now, Makarios – always a canny politician – had accepted that Enosis was not to be in the foreseeable future and that the only outcome which could secure harmony in Cyprus was robust independence. Taking office on 16 August 1960, the day the British flag was finally lowered in Lefkosia, Makarios now pursued a policy of non-alignment, cultivating good relations with Turkey as well as Greece and becoming a high-profile member of the Non-Aligned Movement. He attended the Belgrade NAM conference in 1961, and unnerved the governments in London and Washington with his lukewarm policy towards the West. This was seen in the US as unpredictability and a tendency towards Communism and Makarios was vilifed as a ‘Castro of the Mediterranean’, although he had by now been rehabilitated in the British press and was affectionately nicknamed ‘Black Mak’ on account of his clerical garb.

===Makarios and the Cyprus Problem (1963-74)===
The idea of an independent path for Cyprus had not taken root among the general public and the political scene was still highly polarised. There was increasing acrimony between Turkish and Greek Cypriots about the workings of the constitution and Makarios was forced to act to salvage the machinery of state from imminent collapse. In November [[1963]], Makarios proposed Thirteen Amendments to the Constitution, which would free up many public offices from the ethnic restrictions agreed in London and Zurich. This, he argued, would allow the government to operate more efficiently and bring together the communities by dissolving rigid inter-ethnic legal boundaries. However, the Amendments were seen by many Turkish Cypriots as threatening constitutional protections for them against domination by the majority Greek Cypriots. In response to Makarios’ proposals, most Turkish Cypriots in public office, including Vice-President Kucuk, resigned, and large numbers of Turkish Cypriots moved out of ethnically-mixed areas into villages and towns where the population was already largely Turkish Cypriot. There is still dispute over the motives for this, some arguing that it was made necessary by the intimidation of the Turkish Cypriots by the Greek Cypriots, and others suggesting that the Turkish community was sabotaging the Cypriot settlement and already preparing for partition by Turkey. An armed struggle by the Turkish community was quickly answered by the Greek side and war was threatened between Greece and Turkey.

The political landscape in Cyprus remained interminable. UN peacekeeping operations (UNFICYP) commenced in 1964 and helped to soothe, but not to solve, the situation. Makarios continued his high-profile neutrality, but ultimately failed either to reassure the Turkish Cypriots that they were safe in an independent Cyprus, or to convince the Greek Cypriots that independence was a satisfactory alternative to assimilation within a Greater Greece. By 1967, when the military [[junta]] seized power in Athens, Makarios was viewed in Greece as a left-wing renegade who had failed to deliver on the promise of Enosis. Accordingly, the Greek colonels sponsored a right-wing coup in Lefkosia on [[15 July]] [[1974]]. Makarios fled and was replaced by [[Nikos Sampson]], a newspaper editor and former freedom fighter during the EOKA era. Sampson’s presidential career was short-lived, however, as the [[junta|regime in Athens]] collapsed only a few days later after Turkey invaded the island on [[20 July]] [[1974]]. Unsupported, Sampson resigned, and the former constitution was restored. In the continuing absence of a Vice-President, the presidency passed to the Speaker of the [[House of Representatives of Cyprus|House of Representatives]], [[Glafkos Clerides]]. The restoration of the old order did not prevent Turkey from staging a second operation, one month later, and seizing nearly 40% of Cyprus creating 200,000 refugees in the process.

Makarios remained in London for five months. Having succeeded in securing international recognition that his administration was the rightful government of the whole island, he returned to Cyprus and focussed solely on restoring Cypriot territorial integrity. He was not successful. Turkey has remained in occupation ever since and the situation is still unresolved.

===Death and Legacy===
Makarios III died unexpectedly on [[August 3]], [[1977]] of a heart attack. He is buried in a tomb in the mountains near Kykko Monastery, where he served as a novice in the 1920s and 30s. An imposing bronze statue of Makarios was erected outside the Presidential Palace in [[Nicosia]].

He remains a controversial figure, reviled by some as a traitor to the Enosist cause but admired by many as a national hero. In any case he is possibly the most significant figure in recent Cypriot politics, and his efforts to secure international consensus on the legitimacy of the Greek Cypriot government after 1974 have provided the backdrop against which the whole recent political history of the Cyprus Question has been played out.

{{start box}}
{{succession box|title=[[Presidents of Cyprus|President of Cyprus]]|before=''first holder''|after=[[Nikos Sampson]]|years=1960– 1974 (Jul)}}
{{succession box|title=[[Presidents of Cyprus|President of Cyprus]]|before=[[Glafkos Clerides]] (interim)|after=[[Spyros Kyprianou]] (1977-88)|years=1974 (Dec)–1977}}
{{end box}}

===Links===
[http://www.cyprus-conflict.net/makarios%20-%20interview%20with%20fallaci.htm Text of Makarios III's famous interview with Orianna Fallaci, given in 1974]

[http://newssearch.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?scope=otd&tab=otd&order=sortboth&q=Makarios A series of stories from the BBC relating to Makarios]

[[Category:1913 births|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:1977 deaths|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:Presidents of Cyprus|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:Archbishops of Cyprus|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:EOKA struggle (1955-1959)|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:Cypriot politicians|Makarios 3]]

Makarios III

2007-12-26T06:18:38Z

Kouros8:

'''Makarios''' was the adopted clerical name of Michail Christodoulou Mouskos ([[August 13]], [[1913]] – [[August 3]], [[1977]]). Makarios was Archbishop and Primate of the autocephalous Greek Orthodox[[Church of Cyprus]] (1950-77) and first [[Presidents of Cyprus|President]] of the Republic of [[Cyprus]] (1960-77).

===Early life, studies and church career (1913-50)===
Mouskos was born in the village of Panayia in the [[Paphos province]] on [[August 13]], [[1913]]. In [[1926]], at the age of 13, he was admitted to Kykko Monastery as a novice, and was educated there and at [[Lefkosia]] and [[Athens]], graduating in 1942 with a degree in Theology. He took up the duties of a priest in the Orthodox Church while sustaining an interest in academic theology, and in 1938 received a World Council of Churches scholarship to undertake further study at Boston University, Massachusetts, USA.

In 1948, while still studying at Boston, he was elected Bishop of Kition. Mouskos adopted the clerical name Makarios and returned to Cyprus.

Makarios was a charismatic and popular figure in Cyprus, but his relationship with the British authorities was fraught. Like many public figures in the Greek Cypriot community on Cyprus, in the [[1940s]] and [[1950s]] he was an active supporter of [[Enosis]], the union of Cyprus with [[Greece]].

===Enosism and EOKA (1950-55)===
In 1950, Makarios was elected Archbishop of Cyprus. In this role he was not only the official head of the Orthodox Church in Cyprus, but became the Ethnarch, de facto leader of the Greek Cypriot community. This highly influential position put Makarios at the centre of Cypriot politics.

During the 1950s Makarios embraced his dual role as Archbishop and Ethnarch with enthusiasm and became a very popular figure among Greek Cypriots. He soon became a leading advocate for Enosis, and during the early part of the decade he maintained close links with the [[Greece|Greek]] government. In August 1954, partly at Makarios’s instigation, Greece began to raise the ‘Cyprus Question’ at the United Nations, arguing for the principle of self-determination to be applied to Cyprus. This was viewed by advocates of Enosis as likely to result in the voluntary union of Cyprus with Greece following a public plebiscite.

However, the British government were reluctant to decolonise the island. The 1950s were a troubled decade for the British Empire and the cause of Enosis was quickly and amorphously allied to the idea of independence. In 1955, a new organisation was formed under the banner of [[EOKA|‘Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston’]] (in English ‘National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters’), under the leadership of [[Georgios Grivas]], which conducted an armed struggle against the British occupation of Cyprus.

===Escalation, ‘[[Taksim]]’ and independence (1955-60)===
In October 1955, with the security situation deteriorating, the British Governor, [[Sir John Harding]], opened talks on the island’s future. By this stage, Makarios had become closely identified with the struggle, and talks broke up without any agreement in early 1956. Makarios, characterised in the British press as a crooked Greek priest and viewed with suspicion by the British authorities, was seized at Lefkosia Airport and exiled to the Seychelles on [[March 9]]. EOKA continued its campaign of protests and armed resistance during this period.

In the latter years of the [[1950s]], the Turkish Cypriot community first began to float the idea of ‘[[Taksim]]’ or ‘Partition’, as a counterweight to the Greek ideal of ‘Enosis’ or ‘Union’. Advocates of Taksim felt that the Turkish Cypriot community would be persecuted in a Greek Cyprus, and that only by keeping part of the island under either British or Turkish sovereignty could the safety of the Turkish Cypriots be guaranteed. In this way the ‘Cyprus Question’ became increasingly polarised between two communities with opposing visions of the future of the island.

Makarios was released from exile after a year, although he was still forbidden to return to Cyprus. He went instead to Athens, where he was rapturously received. Basing himself in the Greek capital, he continued to work for Cypriot freedom. Negotiations in [[1958]] generated the Zurich Agreement as a basis for a deal on the independence of Cyprus- as the British would not hear of Enosis - and Makarios was invited to London in 1959 to fine-tune the plan. On [[March 1]], [[1959]] the archbishop returned to Cyprus to an unprecedented reception in [[Lefkosia]], where almost two-thirds of the adult Greek Cypriot population turned out to welcome him. Presidential elections were held on [[December 13|13 December]] [[1959]] and Makarios roundly defeated his rival, lawyer John Clerides – father of future president and Makarios ally [[Glafkos Clerides]] – receiving two-thirds of the vote. Makarios was to become the political leader of all Cyprus as well as the communal leader of the Greek Cypriots.

===Primacy and Presidency (1960-63)===
After his election Makarios, together with the Vice-President-elect, Dr Fazil Kucuk, continued to draw up plans for Cyprus’s future. By now, Makarios – always a canny politician – had accepted that Enosis was not to be in the foreseeable future and that the only outcome which could secure harmony in Cyprus was robust independence. Taking office on 16 August 1960, the day the British flag was finally lowered in Lefkosia, Makarios now pursued a policy of non-alignment, cultivating good relations with Turkey as well as Greece and becoming a high-profile member of the Non-Aligned Movement. He attended the Belgrade NAM conference in 1961, and unnerved the governments in London and Washington with his lukewarm policy towards the West. This was seen in the US as unpredictability and a tendency towards Communism and Makarios was vilifed as a ‘Castro of the Mediterranean’, although he had by now been rehabilitated in the British press and was affectionately nicknamed ‘Black Mak’ on account of his clerical garb.

===Makarios and the Cyprus Problem (1963-74)===
The idea of an independent path for Cyprus had not taken root among the general public and the political scene was still highly polarised. There was increasing acrimony between Turkish and Greek Cypriots about the workings of the constitution and Makarios was forced to act to salvage the machinery of state from imminent collapse. In November [[1963]], Makarios proposed Thirteen Amendments to the Constitution, which would free up many public offices from the ethnic restrictions agreed in London and Zurich. This, he argued, would allow the government to operate more efficiently and bring together the communities by dissolving rigid inter-ethnic legal boundaries. However, the Amendments were seen by many Turkish Cypriots as threatening constitutional protections for them against domination by the majority Greek Cypriots. In response to Makarios’ proposals, most Turkish Cypriots in public office, including Vice-President Kucuk, resigned, and large numbers of Turkish Cypriots moved out of ethnically-mixed areas into villages and towns where the population was already largely Turkish Cypriot. There is still dispute over the motives for this, some arguing that it was made necessary by the intimidation of the Turkish Cypriots by the Greek Cypriots, and others suggesting that the Turkish community was sabotaging the Cypriot settlement and already preparing for partition by Turkey. An armed struggle by the Turkish community was quickly answered by the Greek side and war was threatened between Greece and Turkey.

The political landscape in Cyprus remained interminable. UN peacekeeping operations (UNFICYP) commenced in 1964 and helped to soothe, but not to solve, the situation. Makarios continued his high-profile neutrality, but ultimately failed either to reassure the Turkish Cypriots that they were safe in an independent Cyprus, or to convince the Greek Cypriots that independence was a satisfactory alternative to assimilation within a Greater Greece. By 1967, when the military [[junta]] seized power in Athens, Makarios was viewed in Greece as a left-wing renegade who had failed to deliver on the promise of Enosis. Accordingly, the Greek colonels sponsored a right-wing coup in Lefkosia on [[15 July]] [[1974]]. Makarios fled and was replaced by [[Nikos Sampson]], a newspaper editor and former freedom fighter during the EOKA era. Sampson’s presidential career was short-lived, however, as the [[junta|regime in Athens]] collapsed only a few days later after Turkey invaded the island on [[20 July]] [[1974]]. Unsupported, Sampson resigned, and the former constitution was restored. In the continuing absence of a Vice-President, the presidency passed to the Speaker of the [[House of Representatives of Cyprus|House of Representatives]], [[Glafkos Clerides]]. The restoration of the old order did not prevent Turkey from staging a second operation, one month later, and seizing nearly 40% of Cyprus creating 200,000 refugees in the process.

Makarios remained in London for five months. Having succeeded in securing international recognition that his administration was the rightful government of the whole island, he returned to Cyprus and focussed solely on restoring Cypriot territorial integrity. He was not successful. Turkey has remained in occupation ever since and the situation is still unresolved.

===Death and Legacy===
Makarios III died unexpectedly on [[August 3]], [[1977]] of a heart attack. He is buried in a tomb in the mountains near Kykko Monastery, where he served as a novice in the 1920s and 30s. An imposing bronze statue of Makarios was erected outside the Presidential Palace in [[Nicosia]].

He remains a controversial figure, reviled by some as a traitor to the Enosist cause but admired by many as a national hero. In any case he is possibly the most significant figure in recent Cypriot politics, and his efforts to secure international consensus on the legitimacy of the Greek Cypriot government after 1974 have provided the backdrop against which the whole recent political history of the Cyprus Question has been played out.

{{start box}}
{{succession box|title=[[Presidents of Cyprus|President of Cyprus]]|before=''first holder''|after=[[Nikos Sampson]]|years=1960– 1974 (Jul)}}
{{succession box|title=[[Presidents of Cyprus|President of Cyprus]]|before=[[Glafkos Clerides]] (interim)|after=[[Spyros Kyprianou]] (1977-88)|years=1974 (Dec)–1977}}
{{end box}}

===Links===
[http://www.cyprus-conflict.net/makarios%20-%20interview%20with%20fallaci.htm Text of Makarios III's famous interview with Orianna Fallaci, given in 1974]

[http://newssearch.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?scope=otd&tab=otd&order=sortboth&q=Makarios A series of stories from the BBC relating to Makarios]

[[Category:1913 births|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:1977 deaths|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:Presidents of Cyprus|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:Archbishops of Cyprus|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:EOKA struggle (1955-1959)|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:Cypriot politicians|Makarios 3]]

Makarios III

2007-12-26T06:17:35Z

Kouros8:

'''Makarios''' was the adopted clerical name of Michail Christodoulou Mouskos ([[August 13]], [[1913]] – [[August 3]], [[1977]]). Makarios was Archbishop and Primate of the autocephalous [[Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus]] (1950-77) and first [[Presidents of Cyprus|President]] of the Republic of [[Cyprus]] (1960-77).

===Early life, studies and church career (1913-50)===
Mouskos was born in the village of Panayia in the [[Paphos province]] on [[August 13]], [[1913]]. In [[1926]], at the age of 13, he was admitted to Kykko Monastery as a novice, and was educated there and at [[Lefkosia]] and [[Athens]], graduating in 1942 with a degree in Theology. He took up the duties of a priest in the Orthodox Church while sustaining an interest in academic theology, and in 1938 received a World Council of Churches scholarship to undertake further study at Boston University, Massachusetts, USA.

In 1948, while still studying at Boston, he was elected Bishop of Kition. Mouskos adopted the clerical name Makarios and returned to Cyprus.

Makarios was a charismatic and popular figure in Cyprus, but his relationship with the British authorities was fraught. Like many public figures in the Greek Cypriot community on Cyprus, in the [[1940s]] and [[1950s]] he was an active supporter of [[Enosis]], the union of Cyprus with [[Greece]].

===Enosism and EOKA (1950-55)===
In 1950, Makarios was elected Archbishop of Cyprus. In this role he was not only the official head of the Orthodox Church in Cyprus, but became the Ethnarch, de facto leader of the Greek Cypriot community. This highly influential position put Makarios at the centre of Cypriot politics.

During the 1950s Makarios embraced his dual role as Archbishop and Ethnarch with enthusiasm and became a very popular figure among Greek Cypriots. He soon became a leading advocate for Enosis, and during the early part of the decade he maintained close links with the [[Greece|Greek]] government. In August 1954, partly at Makarios’s instigation, Greece began to raise the ‘Cyprus Question’ at the United Nations, arguing for the principle of self-determination to be applied to Cyprus. This was viewed by advocates of Enosis as likely to result in the voluntary union of Cyprus with Greece following a public plebiscite.

However, the British government were reluctant to decolonise the island. The 1950s were a troubled decade for the British Empire and the cause of Enosis was quickly and amorphously allied to the idea of independence. In 1955, a new organisation was formed under the banner of [[EOKA|‘Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston’]] (in English ‘National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters’), under the leadership of [[Georgios Grivas]], which conducted an armed struggle against the British occupation of Cyprus.

===Escalation, ‘[[Taksim]]’ and independence (1955-60)===
In October 1955, with the security situation deteriorating, the British Governor, [[Sir John Harding]], opened talks on the island’s future. By this stage, Makarios had become closely identified with the struggle, and talks broke up without any agreement in early 1956. Makarios, characterised in the British press as a crooked Greek priest and viewed with suspicion by the British authorities, was seized at Lefkosia Airport and exiled to the Seychelles on [[March 9]]. EOKA continued its campaign of protests and armed resistance during this period.

In the latter years of the [[1950s]], the Turkish Cypriot community first began to float the idea of ‘[[Taksim]]’ or ‘Partition’, as a counterweight to the Greek ideal of ‘Enosis’ or ‘Union’. Advocates of Taksim felt that the Turkish Cypriot community would be persecuted in a Greek Cyprus, and that only by keeping part of the island under either British or Turkish sovereignty could the safety of the Turkish Cypriots be guaranteed. In this way the ‘Cyprus Question’ became increasingly polarised between two communities with opposing visions of the future of the island.

Makarios was released from exile after a year, although he was still forbidden to return to Cyprus. He went instead to Athens, where he was rapturously received. Basing himself in the Greek capital, he continued to work for Cypriot freedom. Negotiations in [[1958]] generated the Zurich Agreement as a basis for a deal on the independence of Cyprus- as the British would not hear of Enosis - and Makarios was invited to London in 1959 to fine-tune the plan. On [[March 1]], [[1959]] the archbishop returned to Cyprus to an unprecedented reception in [[Lefkosia]], where almost two-thirds of the adult Greek Cypriot population turned out to welcome him. Presidential elections were held on [[December 13|13 December]] [[1959]] and Makarios roundly defeated his rival, lawyer John Clerides – father of future president and Makarios ally [[Glafkos Clerides]] – receiving two-thirds of the vote. Makarios was to become the political leader of all Cyprus as well as the communal leader of the Greek Cypriots.

===Primacy and Presidency (1960-63)===
After his election Makarios, together with the Vice-President-elect, Dr Fazil Kucuk, continued to draw up plans for Cyprus’s future. By now, Makarios – always a canny politician – had accepted that Enosis was not to be in the foreseeable future and that the only outcome which could secure harmony in Cyprus was robust independence. Taking office on 16 August 1960, the day the British flag was finally lowered in Lefkosia, Makarios now pursued a policy of non-alignment, cultivating good relations with Turkey as well as Greece and becoming a high-profile member of the Non-Aligned Movement. He attended the Belgrade NAM conference in 1961, and unnerved the governments in London and Washington with his lukewarm policy towards the West. This was seen in the US as unpredictability and a tendency towards Communism and Makarios was vilifed as a ‘Castro of the Mediterranean’, although he had by now been rehabilitated in the British press and was affectionately nicknamed ‘Black Mak’ on account of his clerical garb.

===Makarios and the Cyprus Problem (1963-74)===
The idea of an independent path for Cyprus had not taken root among the general public and the political scene was still highly polarised. There was increasing acrimony between Turkish and Greek Cypriots about the workings of the constitution and Makarios was forced to act to salvage the machinery of state from imminent collapse. In November [[1963]], Makarios proposed Thirteen Amendments to the Constitution, which would free up many public offices from the ethnic restrictions agreed in London and Zurich. This, he argued, would allow the government to operate more efficiently and bring together the communities by dissolving rigid inter-ethnic legal boundaries. However, the Amendments were seen by many Turkish Cypriots as threatening constitutional protections for them against domination by the majority Greek Cypriots. In response to Makarios’ proposals, most Turkish Cypriots in public office, including Vice-President Kucuk, resigned, and large numbers of Turkish Cypriots moved out of ethnically-mixed areas into villages and towns where the population was already largely Turkish Cypriot. There is still dispute over the motives for this, some arguing that it was made necessary by the intimidation of the Turkish Cypriots by the Greek Cypriots, and others suggesting that the Turkish community was sabotaging the Cypriot settlement and already preparing for partition by Turkey. An armed struggle by the Turkish community was quickly answered by the Greek side and war was threatened between Greece and Turkey.

The political landscape in Cyprus remained interminable. UN peacekeeping operations (UNFICYP) commenced in 1964 and helped to soothe, but not to solve, the situation. Makarios continued his high-profile neutrality, but ultimately failed either to reassure the Turkish Cypriots that they were safe in an independent Cyprus, or to convince the Greek Cypriots that independence was a satisfactory alternative to assimilation within a Greater Greece. By 1967, when the military [[junta]] seized power in Athens, Makarios was viewed in Greece as a left-wing renegade who had failed to deliver on the promise of Enosis. Accordingly, the Greek colonels sponsored a right-wing coup in Lefkosia on [[15 July]] [[1974]]. Makarios fled and was replaced by [[Nikos Sampson]], a newspaper editor and former freedom fighter during the EOKA era. Sampson’s presidential career was short-lived, however, as the [[junta|regime in Athens]] collapsed only a few days later after Turkey invaded the island on [[20 July]] [[1974]]. Unsupported, Sampson resigned, and the former constitution was restored. In the continuing absence of a Vice-President, the presidency passed to the Speaker of the [[House of Representatives of Cyprus|House of Representatives]], [[Glafkos Clerides]]. The restoration of the old order did not prevent Turkey from staging a second operation, one month later, and seizing nearly 40% of Cyprus creating 200,000 refugees in the process.

Makarios remained in London for five months. Having succeeded in securing international recognition that his administration was the rightful government of the whole island, he returned to Cyprus and focussed solely on restoring Cypriot territorial integrity. He was not successful. Turkey has remained in occupation ever since and the situation is still unresolved.

===Death and Legacy===
Makarios III died unexpectedly on [[August 3]], [[1977]] of a heart attack. He is buried in a tomb in the mountains near Kykko Monastery, where he served as a novice in the 1920s and 30s. An imposing bronze statue of Makarios was erected outside the Presidential Palace in [[Nicosia]].

He remains a controversial figure, reviled by some as a traitor to the Enosist cause but admired by many as a national hero. In any case he is possibly the most significant figure in recent Cypriot politics, and his efforts to secure international consensus on the legitimacy of the Greek Cypriot government after 1974 have provided the backdrop against which the whole recent political history of the Cyprus Question has been played out.

{{start box}}
{{succession box|title=[[Presidents of Cyprus|President of Cyprus]]|before=''first holder''|after=[[Nikos Sampson]]|years=1960– 1974 (Jul)}}
{{succession box|title=[[Presidents of Cyprus|President of Cyprus]]|before=[[Glafkos Clerides]] (interim)|after=[[Spyros Kyprianou]] (1977-88)|years=1974 (Dec)–1977}}
{{end box}}

===Links===
[http://www.cyprus-conflict.net/makarios%20-%20interview%20with%20fallaci.htm Text of Makarios III's famous interview with Orianna Fallaci, given in 1974]

[http://newssearch.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?scope=otd&tab=otd&order=sortboth&q=Makarios A series of stories from the BBC relating to Makarios]

[[Category:1913 births|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:1977 deaths|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:Presidents of Cyprus|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:Archbishops of Cyprus|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:EOKA struggle (1955-1959)|Makarios 3]]
[[Category:Cypriot politicians|Makarios 3]]

Cypriot Orthodox Church

2007-12-26T06:08:16Z

Kouros8:

Cypriot Orthodox Church

2007-12-26T06:07:44Z

Kouros8:

The ancient '''[[Cyprus|Cypriot]] Greek Orthodox Church''']] ([[Greek]]: '''Εκκλησία της Κύπρου''') is one of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church organization|fourteen or fifteen]] independent ('autocephalous') [[Eastern Orthodox church]]es, which are in communion and in doctrinal agreement with one another but not all subject to one patriarch. It is one of the oldest autocephalous churches. The bishop of the capital, [[Salamis, Cyprus|Salamis]] (Konstantia), was constituted metropolitan by [[Emperor Zeno]], with the title of ''archbishop''.

The Apostle [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]], accompaniedby [[Barnabas]] and [[Mark the Evangelist|Mark]] (Barnabas' nephew), came to Cyprus in [[45]] AD to spread [[Christianity]]. Arriving at Salamis, they travelled across the island to Paphos, where Sergius Paulus was the first Roman official to convert to Christianity. In [[50]] AD St Barnabas returned to Cyprus accompanied by St Mark and set up his base in Salamis. He is considered to be the first Archbishop of Cyprus. In [[57]] AD, St Barnabas was stoned to death by the Jews on the outskirts of Salamis, where he was also buried. He thus became one of the first martyrs of Christianity.

A few of the Bishops who helped spread Christianity on the island were Lazarus, the Bishop of Kition, Herakleidios the Bishop of Tamasos, Avxivios the Bishop of Soloi, and Theodotos the Bishop of [[Kyrenia]].

Towards the end of the [[4th century]], Christianity had spread throughout the island. During this time [[Epiphanius of Salamis|St Epiphanius]] was Archbishop. His seat was in Salamis, which was renamed Constantia.

This independent position by ancient custom was recognized, against the claims of the [[Patriarch of Antioch]], at the [[Council of Ephesus]] ([[431]] CE), and by an edict of the Byzantine emperor Zeno. When the Archbishop of Antioch tried to abolish the Cyprus church's autocephaly, the Cypriot clergy denounced this before the [[Council of Ephesus|Third Ecumenical Synod]], which convened in [[434]] AD in [[Ephesos]]. The Synod ratified the autocephaly of the Church of Cyprus by its 8th canon. In [[478]] AD, Archbishop Anthemios of Cyprus, following a vision, found the grave of St Barnabas and his remains. On St Barnabas's chest rested a copy of [[Matthew the Evangelist|St Mathew]]'s Gospel. The church had sent a cogent argument on its own behalf to the Emperor the alleged body of its reputed founder [[Barnabas]], just then having been most opportunely discovered at Salamis by Archbishop Anthemios. Zeno confirmed the status of the Church of Cyprus and granted its Archbishop the '''''"three privileges"''''': namely to sign his name in '''cinnabar''', an ink made [[vermilion]] by the addition of the mineral cinnabar; to wear purple instead of black robes under his vestments; and to hold an imperial sceptre instead of a normal episcopal crosier.

Cyprus suffered greatly from Arab invasions in the following centuries, and during the reign of [[Justinian II]] the cities of [[Salamis]] (Constantia), Kourion and [[Paphos]] were sacked. At the advice of the Emperor, the Archbishop fled to the [[Hellespont]] along with the survivors, and established the city of '''''Nova Justiniana''''' (Greek: Νέα Ιουστινιανή), named after the Emperor, near the city of [[Cyzicus]]. In [[692]] the [[Quinisext Council]] (also called "in Trullo") reconfirmed the status and privileges of the exiled Archbishop and in [[698]], when the Arabs were driven out of Cyprus, the Archbishop returned but retained the title of '''''"Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus"''''': a custom that, along with the "three privileges", continues to this day.

After the establishment of [[Kingdom of Cyprus]] the Catholic kings gradually reduced the number of orthodox bishops from 14 to 4 and forced those away from their towns. The archbishop was moved from Nicosia to the region of Solia, near [[Morphou]], the bishop of [[Larnaca]] was moved to the village of Lefkara etc. Each orthodox bishop was under the Catholic bishop of the area. The Catholic church tried on occasion to force the orthodox bishops to make concessions on the differences in doctrine and practices between the two churches, sometimes with threats and sometimes using violence and torture, as in the case of the 13 monks in Kantara. Moreover the properties of many monasteries were confiscated. The persecutions, especially during the Frankish period, did not succeed in uprooting the faith of the Orthodox Greek Cypriots.

The Franks were succeeded by the Venetiand in 1489 without any significant change to the status of the orthodox church. The conquest of Cyprus by the Ottoman Empire in [[1571]] led to the recognition of the Orthodox church as the only legal Christian church. The church was considered by the Ottomans to be the political leadership of the Christian population (Rum millet) and was responsible for collecting taxes. Because of the different policies of the Ottoman empire towards Muslim and non Muslim citizens, especially regarding taxation, certain Christians converted to Islam. These are known in Cyprus with the name "Linopampakoi".

Attempts were made subsequently by the patriarchs of Antioch to claim authority over the Cypriot Church, the last as recently as [[1600]], but in vain.

Nevertheless, during the Cyprus under the Ottoman period (1571-1878) Cyprus went through hard times. People lived in insecurity and their life and property was constantly at the disposal of the Ottomans. The role of the Church in the preservation of faith, national identity and traditions of orthodox Greek cypriots was particularly important. The churches were not mere places of worship but were transformed to schools and places of ethnic inspiration.

The [[War of Independence|revolution in Greece]] in 1821, together with information of a revolutionary movement in Cyprus, resulted in the execution of [[Archbishop Kyprianos of Cyprus|Archbishop Kyprianos]] on [[July 9]], [[1821]] and Bishops Chrysanthos of Paphos, Meletios of Kitium, Lavrentios of Kyrenia, of the Abbot Josef of the Kykkos Monastery and other notables, clergymen and common people.

In [[1872]] archbishop Sofronios of Cyprus partipated in a council in [[Constantinople]] which condemned nationalism, triggered by the unilateral declaration of autocephaly by the Bulgarian church.

The purchase of Cyprus by the British in [[1878]] allowed more freedom in religious practices, such as the use of bells in churches (which were forbidden under the Ottomans). Some linopampakoi took advantage of the political change to convert back to christianity.

John Hackett published "A history of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus" in [[1901]]. At about the same time the church went through a crisis regarding the succession of the archbishop. The two candidates, [[Kyrillos II]] and [[Kyrillos III]] had mainly political differences (one was a nationalist whereas the other was a moderate).

Despite that Church gained more freedom by British, however, the British Administration interfered, in certain cases, using restrictive laws on the management of the Church and other areas of national and cultural activity. This led to the October [[1931]] riot organised by bishops who were also members of the legislative assembly. As a consequence of this uprise, the Bishops Nikodemos of Kition, and [[Makarios II|Makarios of Kyrenia]] were exiled and restrictions were imposed on the election of the Archbishop. As a result the filling of the Archbishop's throne was pending from [[1933]] (death of Archbishop Kyrillos the 3rd) to [[1946]], when the Bishop of Paphos Leontios was elected as the new Archbishop.

In [[1950]], [[Makarios III]] was elected Archbishop. While still bishop of Kition he had demonstrated strong intellectual and national activity. In 1949 he founded the Seminary «Apostle Varnavas» and in [[1950]] he organised the referendum on the Union ([[Enosis]]) between Cyprus and [[Greece]]. While archbishop he was the political leader of the [[EOKA]] liberation struggle in the years [[1955]]-[[1959]]. The British exiled him to the Seychelles because of his activities.

In [[1960]], Archbishop Makarios III was elected President of the newly established Republic of Cyprus. Disagreements of the other 3 bishops with Makarios lead to the [[Ecclesiastical coup]]. Following the dethronement of the Bishops of Paphos, Kitium and [[Kyrenia]] for conspiring against Makarios, two new Bishoprics were created: the Bishopric of [[Limassol]] which was detached from the Bishopric of Kition, and the Bishopric of Morfou which was detached from the Bishopric of Kyrenia. The Coup d'état of [[July 15]], [[1974]] forced Archbishop Makarios III to leave the island. He returned in December 1974.

The coup was followed by the [[Turkish Invasion of Cyprus|Turkish invasion]] of [[July 20]] 1974 which affected significantly the Church and its flock: as 35% of Cyprus' territory came under Turkish occupation, hundreds of thousands of orthodox Christians were displaced and those that couldn't or didn't want to leave (20,000 initially) faced oppression. As of May [[2001]] figures only 421 Greek Cypriots and 155 Maronites remain in North Cyprus.

The destruction of Christian monuments was another important consequence. Churches containing Byzantine icons, frescoes and mosaics of incalculable value have been pillaged by antiquities dealers and sold on the black market. One of the most characteristic cases of pillage has been the case of the mosaics of Panayia of Kanakaria of the [[6th century]] AC, which were finally returned to the Church of Cyprus, following a ruling by the Indianapolis Court. In the occupied areas of Cyprus there are 514 churches, chapels and monasteries, many of whom were converted to mosques, museums or abandoned.

On [[August 3]], [[1977]], Archbishop Makarios died and was succeeded by Chrysostomos, the current Archbishop. In [[1979]], the new Statutory Charter of the Church of Cyprus was drawn up and approved replacing the old one of [[1914]].

==Holy Synod==
The Holy Synod of the Autocephalous Church of Cyprus is the highest Church Authority in Cyprus. Its task is to examine and provide solutions on all issues concerning the Church of Cyprus. It consists of his Beatitude the Archbishop of Cyprus as the Head of the Holy Synod, the Bishops of [[Paphos]], [[Kition]], [[Kyrenia]], [[Limassol]] and [[Morphou]], the Suffragan Bishops of Salamis, Trimithous and Arsinoe and the Bishop of Kykko Nikiforos, as regular members.

The Holy Synod meets regularly in the first week after [[Easter]] and in the first fortnight of the months of February and September. It meets in ad hoc sessions when it is deemed necessary or when two of its members put forward a request.

==See also==
*[[List of Archbishops of Cyprus]]

==Source==
*[http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/cyphome/govhome.nsf/LookupIDs/56EFF47249680FF2C2256AA2004554CC?OpenDocument&languageNo=1 Official Cypriot Government (About Church of Cyprus)]

==External links==
*[http://www.churchofcyprus.org.cy/ Orthodox Church of Cyprus], official site
*[http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-orthodox-cyprus.htm Orthodox Church of Cyprus], scholarly site

{{Credit wikipedia}}

[[Category:Eastern Orthodox churches]]

Cypriot Orthodox Church

2007-12-26T06:06:51Z

Kouros8:

The ancient '''[[Cyprus|Cypriot]] Greek Orthodox Church''']] ([['''Greek''']]: '''Εκκλησία της Κύπρου''') is one of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church organization|fourteen or fifteen]] independent ('autocephalous') [[Eastern Orthodox church]]es, which are in communion and in doctrinal agreement with one another but not all subject to one patriarch. It is one of the oldest autocephalous churches. The bishop of the capital, [[Salamis, Cyprus|Salamis]] (Konstantia), was constituted metropolitan by [[Emperor Zeno]], with the title of ''archbishop''.

The Apostle [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]], accompaniedby [[Barnabas]] and [[Mark the Evangelist|Mark]] (Barnabas' nephew), came to Cyprus in [[45]] AD to spread [[Christianity]]. Arriving at Salamis, they travelled across the island to Paphos, where Sergius Paulus was the first Roman official to convert to Christianity. In [[50]] AD St Barnabas returned to Cyprus accompanied by St Mark and set up his base in Salamis. He is considered to be the first Archbishop of Cyprus. In [[57]] AD, St Barnabas was stoned to death by the Jews on the outskirts of Salamis, where he was also buried. He thus became one of the first martyrs of Christianity.

A few of the Bishops who helped spread Christianity on the island were Lazarus, the Bishop of Kition, Herakleidios the Bishop of Tamasos, Avxivios the Bishop of Soloi, and Theodotos the Bishop of [[Kyrenia]].

Towards the end of the [[4th century]], Christianity had spread throughout the island. During this time [[Epiphanius of Salamis|St Epiphanius]] was Archbishop. His seat was in Salamis, which was renamed Constantia.

This independent position by ancient custom was recognized, against the claims of the [[Patriarch of Antioch]], at the [[Council of Ephesus]] ([[431]] CE), and by an edict of the Byzantine emperor Zeno. When the Archbishop of Antioch tried to abolish the Cyprus church's autocephaly, the Cypriot clergy denounced this before the [[Council of Ephesus|Third Ecumenical Synod]], which convened in [[434]] AD in [[Ephesos]]. The Synod ratified the autocephaly of the Church of Cyprus by its 8th canon. In [[478]] AD, Archbishop Anthemios of Cyprus, following a vision, found the grave of St Barnabas and his remains. On St Barnabas's chest rested a copy of [[Matthew the Evangelist|St Mathew]]'s Gospel. The church had sent a cogent argument on its own behalf to the Emperor the alleged body of its reputed founder [[Barnabas]], just then having been most opportunely discovered at Salamis by Archbishop Anthemios. Zeno confirmed the status of the Church of Cyprus and granted its Archbishop the '''''"three privileges"''''': namely to sign his name in '''cinnabar''', an ink made [[vermilion]] by the addition of the mineral cinnabar; to wear purple instead of black robes under his vestments; and to hold an imperial sceptre instead of a normal episcopal crosier.

Cyprus suffered greatly from Arab invasions in the following centuries, and during the reign of [[Justinian II]] the cities of [[Salamis]] (Constantia), Kourion and [[Paphos]] were sacked. At the advice of the Emperor, the Archbishop fled to the [[Hellespont]] along with the survivors, and established the city of '''''Nova Justiniana''''' (Greek: Νέα Ιουστινιανή), named after the Emperor, near the city of [[Cyzicus]]. In [[692]] the [[Quinisext Council]] (also called "in Trullo") reconfirmed the status and privileges of the exiled Archbishop and in [[698]], when the Arabs were driven out of Cyprus, the Archbishop returned but retained the title of '''''"Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus"''''': a custom that, along with the "three privileges", continues to this day.

After the establishment of [[Kingdom of Cyprus]] the Catholic kings gradually reduced the number of orthodox bishops from 14 to 4 and forced those away from their towns. The archbishop was moved from Nicosia to the region of Solia, near [[Morphou]], the bishop of [[Larnaca]] was moved to the village of Lefkara etc. Each orthodox bishop was under the Catholic bishop of the area. The Catholic church tried on occasion to force the orthodox bishops to make concessions on the differences in doctrine and practices between the two churches, sometimes with threats and sometimes using violence and torture, as in the case of the 13 monks in Kantara. Moreover the properties of many monasteries were confiscated. The persecutions, especially during the Frankish period, did not succeed in uprooting the faith of the Orthodox Greek Cypriots.

The Franks were succeeded by the Venetiand in 1489 without any significant change to the status of the orthodox church. The conquest of Cyprus by the Ottoman Empire in [[1571]] led to the recognition of the Orthodox church as the only legal Christian church. The church was considered by the Ottomans to be the political leadership of the Christian population (Rum millet) and was responsible for collecting taxes. Because of the different policies of the Ottoman empire towards Muslim and non Muslim citizens, especially regarding taxation, certain Christians converted to Islam. These are known in Cyprus with the name "Linopampakoi".

Attempts were made subsequently by the patriarchs of Antioch to claim authority over the Cypriot Church, the last as recently as [[1600]], but in vain.

Nevertheless, during the Cyprus under the Ottoman period (1571-1878) Cyprus went through hard times. People lived in insecurity and their life and property was constantly at the disposal of the Ottomans. The role of the Church in the preservation of faith, national identity and traditions of orthodox Greek cypriots was particularly important. The churches were not mere places of worship but were transformed to schools and places of ethnic inspiration.

The [[War of Independence|revolution in Greece]] in 1821, together with information of a revolutionary movement in Cyprus, resulted in the execution of [[Archbishop Kyprianos of Cyprus|Archbishop Kyprianos]] on [[July 9]], [[1821]] and Bishops Chrysanthos of Paphos, Meletios of Kitium, Lavrentios of Kyrenia, of the Abbot Josef of the Kykkos Monastery and other notables, clergymen and common people.

In [[1872]] archbishop Sofronios of Cyprus partipated in a council in [[Constantinople]] which condemned nationalism, triggered by the unilateral declaration of autocephaly by the Bulgarian church.

The purchase of Cyprus by the British in [[1878]] allowed more freedom in religious practices, such as the use of bells in churches (which were forbidden under the Ottomans). Some linopampakoi took advantage of the political change to convert back to christianity.

John Hackett published "A history of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus" in [[1901]]. At about the same time the church went through a crisis regarding the succession of the archbishop. The two candidates, [[Kyrillos II]] and [[Kyrillos III]] had mainly political differences (one was a nationalist whereas the other was a moderate).

Despite that Church gained more freedom by British, however, the British Administration interfered, in certain cases, using restrictive laws on the management of the Church and other areas of national and cultural activity. This led to the October [[1931]] riot organised by bishops who were also members of the legislative assembly. As a consequence of this uprise, the Bishops Nikodemos of Kition, and [[Makarios II|Makarios of Kyrenia]] were exiled and restrictions were imposed on the election of the Archbishop. As a result the filling of the Archbishop's throne was pending from [[1933]] (death of Archbishop Kyrillos the 3rd) to [[1946]], when the Bishop of Paphos Leontios was elected as the new Archbishop.

In [[1950]], [[Makarios III]] was elected Archbishop. While still bishop of Kition he had demonstrated strong intellectual and national activity. In 1949 he founded the Seminary «Apostle Varnavas» and in [[1950]] he organised the referendum on the Union ([[Enosis]]) between Cyprus and [[Greece]]. While archbishop he was the political leader of the [[EOKA]] liberation struggle in the years [[1955]]-[[1959]]. The British exiled him to the Seychelles because of his activities.

In [[1960]], Archbishop Makarios III was elected President of the newly established Republic of Cyprus. Disagreements of the other 3 bishops with Makarios lead to the [[Ecclesiastical coup]]. Following the dethronement of the Bishops of Paphos, Kitium and [[Kyrenia]] for conspiring against Makarios, two new Bishoprics were created: the Bishopric of [[Limassol]] which was detached from the Bishopric of Kition, and the Bishopric of Morfou which was detached from the Bishopric of Kyrenia. The Coup d'état of [[July 15]], [[1974]] forced Archbishop Makarios III to leave the island. He returned in December 1974.

The coup was followed by the [[Turkish Invasion of Cyprus|Turkish invasion]] of [[July 20]] 1974 which affected significantly the Church and its flock: as 35% of Cyprus' territory came under Turkish occupation, hundreds of thousands of orthodox Christians were displaced and those that couldn't or didn't want to leave (20,000 initially) faced oppression. As of May [[2001]] figures only 421 Greek Cypriots and 155 Maronites remain in North Cyprus.

The destruction of Christian monuments was another important consequence. Churches containing Byzantine icons, frescoes and mosaics of incalculable value have been pillaged by antiquities dealers and sold on the black market. One of the most characteristic cases of pillage has been the case of the mosaics of Panayia of Kanakaria of the [[6th century]] AC, which were finally returned to the Church of Cyprus, following a ruling by the Indianapolis Court. In the occupied areas of Cyprus there are 514 churches, chapels and monasteries, many of whom were converted to mosques, museums or abandoned.

On [[August 3]], [[1977]], Archbishop Makarios died and was succeeded by Chrysostomos, the current Archbishop. In [[1979]], the new Statutory Charter of the Church of Cyprus was drawn up and approved replacing the old one of [[1914]].

==Holy Synod==
The Holy Synod of the Autocephalous Church of Cyprus is the highest Church Authority in Cyprus. Its task is to examine and provide solutions on all issues concerning the Church of Cyprus. It consists of his Beatitude the Archbishop of Cyprus as the Head of the Holy Synod, the Bishops of [[Paphos]], [[Kition]], [[Kyrenia]], [[Limassol]] and [[Morphou]], the Suffragan Bishops of Salamis, Trimithous and Arsinoe and the Bishop of Kykko Nikiforos, as regular members.

The Holy Synod meets regularly in the first week after [[Easter]] and in the first fortnight of the months of February and September. It meets in ad hoc sessions when it is deemed necessary or when two of its members put forward a request.

==See also==
*[[List of Archbishops of Cyprus]]

==Source==
*[http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/cyphome/govhome.nsf/LookupIDs/56EFF47249680FF2C2256AA2004554CC?OpenDocument&languageNo=1 Official Cypriot Government (About Church of Cyprus)]

==External links==
*[http://www.churchofcyprus.org.cy/ Orthodox Church of Cyprus], official site
*[http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-orthodox-cyprus.htm Orthodox Church of Cyprus], scholarly site

{{Credit wikipedia}}

[[Category:Eastern Orthodox churches]]

Cypriot Orthodox Church

2007-12-26T06:05:18Z

Kouros8:

Cypriot Orthodox Church

2007-12-26T06:04:32Z

Kouros8:

The ancient '''[[Cyprus|Cypriot]] Greek Orthodox Church''' ([Greek]: '''Εκκλησία της Κύπρου''') is one of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church organization|fourteen or fifteen]] independent ('autocephalous') [[Eastern Orthodox church]]es, which are in communion and in doctrinal agreement with one another but not all subject to one patriarch. It is one of the oldest autocephalous churches. The bishop of the capital, [[Salamis, Cyprus|Salamis]] (Konstantia), was constituted metropolitan by [[Emperor Zeno]], with the title of ''archbishop''.

The Apostle [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]], accompaniedby [[Barnabas]] and [[Mark the Evangelist|Mark]] (Barnabas' nephew), came to Cyprus in [[45]] AD to spread [[Christianity]]. Arriving at Salamis, they travelled across the island to Paphos, where Sergius Paulus was the first Roman official to convert to Christianity. In [[50]] AD St Barnabas returned to Cyprus accompanied by St Mark and set up his base in Salamis. He is considered to be the first Archbishop of Cyprus. In [[57]] AD, St Barnabas was stoned to death by the Jews on the outskirts of Salamis, where he was also buried. He thus became one of the first martyrs of Christianity.

A few of the Bishops who helped spread Christianity on the island were Lazarus, the Bishop of Kition, Herakleidios the Bishop of Tamasos, Avxivios the Bishop of Soloi, and Theodotos the Bishop of [[Kyrenia]].

Towards the end of the [[4th century]], Christianity had spread throughout the island. During this time [[Epiphanius of Salamis|St Epiphanius]] was Archbishop. His seat was in Salamis, which was renamed Constantia.

This independent position by ancient custom was recognized, against the claims of the [[Patriarch of Antioch]], at the [[Council of Ephesus]] ([[431]] CE), and by an edict of the Byzantine emperor Zeno. When the Archbishop of Antioch tried to abolish the Cyprus church's autocephaly, the Cypriot clergy denounced this before the [[Council of Ephesus|Third Ecumenical Synod]], which convened in [[434]] AD in [[Ephesos]]. The Synod ratified the autocephaly of the Church of Cyprus by its 8th canon. In [[478]] AD, Archbishop Anthemios of Cyprus, following a vision, found the grave of St Barnabas and his remains. On St Barnabas's chest rested a copy of [[Matthew the Evangelist|St Mathew]]'s Gospel. The church had sent a cogent argument on its own behalf to the Emperor the alleged body of its reputed founder [[Barnabas]], just then having been most opportunely discovered at Salamis by Archbishop Anthemios. Zeno confirmed the status of the Church of Cyprus and granted its Archbishop the '''''"three privileges"''''': namely to sign his name in '''cinnabar''', an ink made [[vermilion]] by the addition of the mineral cinnabar; to wear purple instead of black robes under his vestments; and to hold an imperial sceptre instead of a normal episcopal crosier.

Cyprus suffered greatly from Arab invasions in the following centuries, and during the reign of [[Justinian II]] the cities of [[Salamis]] (Constantia), Kourion and [[Paphos]] were sacked. At the advice of the Emperor, the Archbishop fled to the [[Hellespont]] along with the survivors, and established the city of '''''Nova Justiniana''''' (Greek: Νέα Ιουστινιανή), named after the Emperor, near the city of [[Cyzicus]]. In [[692]] the [[Quinisext Council]] (also called "in Trullo") reconfirmed the status and privileges of the exiled Archbishop and in [[698]], when the Arabs were driven out of Cyprus, the Archbishop returned but retained the title of '''''"Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus"''''': a custom that, along with the "three privileges", continues to this day.

After the establishment of [[Kingdom of Cyprus]] the Catholic kings gradually reduced the number of orthodox bishops from 14 to 4 and forced those away from their towns. The archbishop was moved from Nicosia to the region of Solia, near [[Morphou]], the bishop of [[Larnaca]] was moved to the village of Lefkara etc. Each orthodox bishop was under the Catholic bishop of the area. The Catholic church tried on occasion to force the orthodox bishops to make concessions on the differences in doctrine and practices between the two churches, sometimes with threats and sometimes using violence and torture, as in the case of the 13 monks in Kantara. Moreover the properties of many monasteries were confiscated. The persecutions, especially during the Frankish period, did not succeed in uprooting the faith of the Orthodox Greek Cypriots.

The Franks were succeeded by the Venetiand in 1489 without any significant change to the status of the orthodox church. The conquest of Cyprus by the Ottoman Empire in [[1571]] led to the recognition of the Orthodox church as the only legal Christian church. The church was considered by the Ottomans to be the political leadership of the Christian population (Rum millet) and was responsible for collecting taxes. Because of the different policies of the Ottoman empire towards Muslim and non Muslim citizens, especially regarding taxation, certain Christians converted to Islam. These are known in Cyprus with the name "Linopampakoi".

Attempts were made subsequently by the patriarchs of Antioch to claim authority over the Cypriot Church, the last as recently as [[1600]], but in vain.

Nevertheless, during the Cyprus under the Ottoman period (1571-1878) Cyprus went through hard times. People lived in insecurity and their life and property was constantly at the disposal of the Ottomans. The role of the Church in the preservation of faith, national identity and traditions of orthodox Greek cypriots was particularly important. The churches were not mere places of worship but were transformed to schools and places of ethnic inspiration.

The [[War of Independence|revolution in Greece]] in 1821, together with information of a revolutionary movement in Cyprus, resulted in the execution of [[Archbishop Kyprianos of Cyprus|Archbishop Kyprianos]] on [[July 9]], [[1821]] and Bishops Chrysanthos of Paphos, Meletios of Kitium, Lavrentios of Kyrenia, of the Abbot Josef of the Kykkos Monastery and other notables, clergymen and common people.

In [[1872]] archbishop Sofronios of Cyprus partipated in a council in [[Constantinople]] which condemned nationalism, triggered by the unilateral declaration of autocephaly by the Bulgarian church.

The purchase of Cyprus by the British in [[1878]] allowed more freedom in religious practices, such as the use of bells in churches (which were forbidden under the Ottomans). Some linopampakoi took advantage of the political change to convert back to christianity.

John Hackett published "A history of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus" in [[1901]]. At about the same time the church went through a crisis regarding the succession of the archbishop. The two candidates, [[Kyrillos II]] and [[Kyrillos III]] had mainly political differences (one was a nationalist whereas the other was a moderate).

Despite that Church gained more freedom by British, however, the British Administration interfered, in certain cases, using restrictive laws on the management of the Church and other areas of national and cultural activity. This led to the October [[1931]] riot organised by bishops who were also members of the legislative assembly. As a consequence of this uprise, the Bishops Nikodemos of Kition, and [[Makarios II|Makarios of Kyrenia]] were exiled and restrictions were imposed on the election of the Archbishop. As a result the filling of the Archbishop's throne was pending from [[1933]] (death of Archbishop Kyrillos the 3rd) to [[1946]], when the Bishop of Paphos Leontios was elected as the new Archbishop.

In [[1950]], [[Makarios III]] was elected Archbishop. While still bishop of Kition he had demonstrated strong intellectual and national activity. In 1949 he founded the Seminary «Apostle Varnavas» and in [[1950]] he organised the referendum on the Union ([[Enosis]]) between Cyprus and [[Greece]]. While archbishop he was the political leader of the [[EOKA]] liberation struggle in the years [[1955]]-[[1959]]. The British exiled him to the Seychelles because of his activities.

In [[1960]], Archbishop Makarios III was elected President of the newly established Republic of Cyprus. Disagreements of the other 3 bishops with Makarios lead to the [[Ecclesiastical coup]]. Following the dethronement of the Bishops of Paphos, Kitium and [[Kyrenia]] for conspiring against Makarios, two new Bishoprics were created: the Bishopric of [[Limassol]] which was detached from the Bishopric of Kition, and the Bishopric of Morfou which was detached from the Bishopric of Kyrenia. The Coup d'état of [[July 15]], [[1974]] forced Archbishop Makarios III to leave the island. He returned in December 1974.

The coup was followed by the [[Turkish Invasion of Cyprus|Turkish invasion]] of [[July 20]] 1974 which affected significantly the Church and its flock: as 35% of Cyprus' territory came under Turkish occupation, hundreds of thousands of orthodox Christians were displaced and those that couldn't or didn't want to leave (20,000 initially) faced oppression. As of May [[2001]] figures only 421 Greek Cypriots and 155 Maronites remain in North Cyprus.

The destruction of Christian monuments was another important consequence. Churches containing Byzantine icons, frescoes and mosaics of incalculable value have been pillaged by antiquities dealers and sold on the black market. One of the most characteristic cases of pillage has been the case of the mosaics of Panayia of Kanakaria of the [[6th century]] AC, which were finally returned to the Church of Cyprus, following a ruling by the Indianapolis Court. In the occupied areas of Cyprus there are 514 churches, chapels and monasteries, many of whom were converted to mosques, museums or abandoned.

On [[August 3]], [[1977]], Archbishop Makarios died and was succeeded by Chrysostomos, the current Archbishop. In [[1979]], the new Statutory Charter of the Church of Cyprus was drawn up and approved replacing the old one of [[1914]].

==Holy Synod==
The Holy Synod of the Autocephalous Church of Cyprus is the highest Church Authority in Cyprus. Its task is to examine and provide solutions on all issues concerning the Church of Cyprus. It consists of his Beatitude the Archbishop of Cyprus as the Head of the Holy Synod, the Bishops of [[Paphos]], [[Kition]], [[Kyrenia]], [[Limassol]] and [[Morphou]], the Suffragan Bishops of Salamis, Trimithous and Arsinoe and the Bishop of Kykko Nikiforos, as regular members.

The Holy Synod meets regularly in the first week after [[Easter]] and in the first fortnight of the months of February and September. It meets in ad hoc sessions when it is deemed necessary or when two of its members put forward a request.

==See also==
*[[List of Archbishops of Cyprus]]

==Source==
*[http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/cyphome/govhome.nsf/LookupIDs/56EFF47249680FF2C2256AA2004554CC?OpenDocument&languageNo=1 Official Cypriot Government (About Church of Cyprus)]

==External links==
*[http://www.churchofcyprus.org.cy/ Orthodox Church of Cyprus], official site
*[http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-orthodox-cyprus.htm Orthodox Church of Cyprus], scholarly site

{{Credit wikipedia}}

[[Category:Eastern Orthodox churches]]

Cypriot Orthodox Church

2007-12-26T06:03:02Z

Kouros8:

The ancient '''[[Cyprus|Cypriot]] Greek Orthodox Church''' (Greek: '''Εκκλησία της Κύπρου''') is one of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church organization|fourteen or fifteen]] independent ('autocephalous') [[Eastern Orthodox church]]es, which are in communion and in doctrinal agreement with one another but not all subject to one patriarch. It is one of the oldest autocephalous churches. The bishop of the capital, [[Salamis, Cyprus|Salamis]] (Konstantia), was constituted metropolitan by [[Emperor Zeno]], with the title of ''archbishop''.

The Apostle [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]], accompaniedby [[Barnabas]] and [[Mark the Evangelist|Mark]] (Barnabas' nephew), came to Cyprus in [[45]] AD to spread [[Christianity]]. Arriving at Salamis, they travelled across the island to Paphos, where Sergius Paulus was the first Roman official to convert to Christianity. In [[50]] AD St Barnabas returned to Cyprus accompanied by St Mark and set up his base in Salamis. He is considered to be the first Archbishop of Cyprus. In [[57]] AD, St Barnabas was stoned to death by the Jews on the outskirts of Salamis, where he was also buried. He thus became one of the first martyrs of Christianity.

A few of the Bishops who helped spread Christianity on the island were Lazarus, the Bishop of Kition, Herakleidios the Bishop of Tamasos, Avxivios the Bishop of Soloi, and Theodotos the Bishop of [[Kyrenia]].

Towards the end of the [[4th century]], Christianity had spread throughout the island. During this time [[Epiphanius of Salamis|St Epiphanius]] was Archbishop. His seat was in Salamis, which was renamed Constantia.

This independent position by ancient custom was recognized, against the claims of the [[Patriarch of Antioch]], at the [[Council of Ephesus]] ([[431]] CE), and by an edict of the Byzantine emperor Zeno. When the Archbishop of Antioch tried to abolish the Cyprus church's autocephaly, the Cypriot clergy denounced this before the [[Council of Ephesus|Third Ecumenical Synod]], which convened in [[434]] AD in [[Ephesos]]. The Synod ratified the autocephaly of the Church of Cyprus by its 8th canon. In [[478]] AD, Archbishop Anthemios of Cyprus, following a vision, found the grave of St Barnabas and his remains. On St Barnabas's chest rested a copy of [[Matthew the Evangelist|St Mathew]]'s Gospel. The church had sent a cogent argument on its own behalf to the Emperor the alleged body of its reputed founder [[Barnabas]], just then having been most opportunely discovered at Salamis by Archbishop Anthemios. Zeno confirmed the status of the Church of Cyprus and granted its Archbishop the '''''"three privileges"''''': namely to sign his name in '''cinnabar''', an ink made [[vermilion]] by the addition of the mineral cinnabar; to wear purple instead of black robes under his vestments; and to hold an imperial sceptre instead of a normal episcopal crosier.

Cyprus suffered greatly from Arab invasions in the following centuries, and during the reign of [[Justinian II]] the cities of [[Salamis]] (Constantia), Kourion and [[Paphos]] were sacked. At the advice of the Emperor, the Archbishop fled to the [[Hellespont]] along with the survivors, and established the city of '''''Nova Justiniana''''' (Greek: Νέα Ιουστινιανή), named after the Emperor, near the city of [[Cyzicus]]. In [[692]] the [[Quinisext Council]] (also called "in Trullo") reconfirmed the status and privileges of the exiled Archbishop and in [[698]], when the Arabs were driven out of Cyprus, the Archbishop returned but retained the title of '''''"Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus"''''': a custom that, along with the "three privileges", continues to this day.

After the establishment of [[Kingdom of Cyprus]] the Catholic kings gradually reduced the number of orthodox bishops from 14 to 4 and forced those away from their towns. The archbishop was moved from Nicosia to the region of Solia, near [[Morphou]], the bishop of [[Larnaca]] was moved to the village of Lefkara etc. Each orthodox bishop was under the Catholic bishop of the area. The Catholic church tried on occasion to force the orthodox bishops to make concessions on the differences in doctrine and practices between the two churches, sometimes with threats and sometimes using violence and torture, as in the case of the 13 monks in Kantara. Moreover the properties of many monasteries were confiscated. The persecutions, especially during the Frankish period, did not succeed in uprooting the faith of the Orthodox Greek Cypriots.

The Franks were succeeded by the Venetiand in 1489 without any significant change to the status of the orthodox church. The conquest of Cyprus by the Ottoman Empire in [[1571]] led to the recognition of the Orthodox church as the only legal Christian church. The church was considered by the Ottomans to be the political leadership of the Christian population (Rum millet) and was responsible for collecting taxes. Because of the different policies of the Ottoman empire towards Muslim and non Muslim citizens, especially regarding taxation, certain Christians converted to Islam. These are known in Cyprus with the name "Linopampakoi".

Attempts were made subsequently by the patriarchs of Antioch to claim authority over the Cypriot Church, the last as recently as [[1600]], but in vain.

Nevertheless, during the Cyprus under the Ottoman period (1571-1878) Cyprus went through hard times. People lived in insecurity and their life and property was constantly at the disposal of the Ottomans. The role of the Church in the preservation of faith, national identity and traditions of orthodox Greek cypriots was particularly important. The churches were not mere places of worship but were transformed to schools and places of ethnic inspiration.

The [[War of Independence|revolution in Greece]] in 1821, together with information of a revolutionary movement in Cyprus, resulted in the execution of [[Archbishop Kyprianos of Cyprus|Archbishop Kyprianos]] on [[July 9]], [[1821]] and Bishops Chrysanthos of Paphos, Meletios of Kitium, Lavrentios of Kyrenia, of the Abbot Josef of the Kykkos Monastery and other notables, clergymen and common people.

In [[1872]] archbishop Sofronios of Cyprus partipated in a council in [[Constantinople]] which condemned nationalism, triggered by the unilateral declaration of autocephaly by the Bulgarian church.

The purchase of Cyprus by the British in [[1878]] allowed more freedom in religious practices, such as the use of bells in churches (which were forbidden under the Ottomans). Some linopampakoi took advantage of the political change to convert back to christianity.

John Hackett published "A history of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus" in [[1901]]. At about the same time the church went through a crisis regarding the succession of the archbishop. The two candidates, [[Kyrillos II]] and [[Kyrillos III]] had mainly political differences (one was a nationalist whereas the other was a moderate).

Despite that Church gained more freedom by British, however, the British Administration interfered, in certain cases, using restrictive laws on the management of the Church and other areas of national and cultural activity. This led to the October [[1931]] riot organised by bishops who were also members of the legislative assembly. As a consequence of this uprise, the Bishops Nikodemos of Kition, and [[Makarios II|Makarios of Kyrenia]] were exiled and restrictions were imposed on the election of the Archbishop. As a result the filling of the Archbishop's throne was pending from [[1933]] (death of Archbishop Kyrillos the 3rd) to [[1946]], when the Bishop of Paphos Leontios was elected as the new Archbishop.

In [[1950]], [[Makarios III]] was elected Archbishop. While still bishop of Kition he had demonstrated strong intellectual and national activity. In 1949 he founded the Seminary «Apostle Varnavas» and in [[1950]] he organised the referendum on the Union ([[Enosis]]) between Cyprus and [[Greece]]. While archbishop he was the political leader of the [[EOKA]] liberation struggle in the years [[1955]]-[[1959]]. The British exiled him to the Seychelles because of his activities.

In [[1960]], Archbishop Makarios III was elected President of the newly established Republic of Cyprus. Disagreements of the other 3 bishops with Makarios lead to the [[Ecclesiastical coup]]. Following the dethronement of the Bishops of Paphos, Kitium and [[Kyrenia]] for conspiring against Makarios, two new Bishoprics were created: the Bishopric of [[Limassol]] which was detached from the Bishopric of Kition, and the Bishopric of Morfou which was detached from the Bishopric of Kyrenia. The Coup d'état of [[July 15]], [[1974]] forced Archbishop Makarios III to leave the island. He returned in December 1974.

The coup was followed by the [[Turkish Invasion of Cyprus|Turkish invasion]] of [[July 20]] 1974 which affected significantly the Church and its flock: as 35% of Cyprus' territory came under Turkish occupation, hundreds of thousands of orthodox Christians were displaced and those that couldn't or didn't want to leave (20,000 initially) faced oppression. As of May [[2001]] figures only 421 Greek Cypriots and 155 Maronites remain in North Cyprus.

The destruction of Christian monuments was another important consequence. Churches containing Byzantine icons, frescoes and mosaics of incalculable value have been pillaged by antiquities dealers and sold on the black market. One of the most characteristic cases of pillage has been the case of the mosaics of Panayia of Kanakaria of the [[6th century]] AC, which were finally returned to the Church of Cyprus, following a ruling by the Indianapolis Court. In the occupied areas of Cyprus there are 514 churches, chapels and monasteries, many of whom were converted to mosques, museums or abandoned.

On [[August 3]], [[1977]], Archbishop Makarios died and was succeeded by Chrysostomos, the current Archbishop. In [[1979]], the new Statutory Charter of the Church of Cyprus was drawn up and approved replacing the old one of [[1914]].

==Holy Synod==
The Holy Synod of the Autocephalous Church of Cyprus is the highest Church Authority in Cyprus. Its task is to examine and provide solutions on all issues concerning the Church of Cyprus. It consists of his Beatitude the Archbishop of Cyprus as the Head of the Holy Synod, the Bishops of [[Paphos]], [[Kition]], [[Kyrenia]], [[Limassol]] and [[Morphou]], the Suffragan Bishops of Salamis, Trimithous and Arsinoe and the Bishop of Kykko Nikiforos, as regular members.

The Holy Synod meets regularly in the first week after [[Easter]] and in the first fortnight of the months of February and September. It meets in ad hoc sessions when it is deemed necessary or when two of its members put forward a request.

==See also==
*[[List of Archbishops of Cyprus]]

==Source==
*[http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/cyphome/govhome.nsf/LookupIDs/56EFF47249680FF2C2256AA2004554CC?OpenDocument&languageNo=1 Official Cypriot Government (About Church of Cyprus)]

==External links==
*[http://www.churchofcyprus.org.cy/ Orthodox Church of Cyprus], official site
*[http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-orthodox-cyprus.htm Orthodox Church of Cyprus], scholarly site

{{Credit wikipedia}}

[[Category:Eastern Orthodox churches]]

Cypriot Orthodox Church

2007-12-26T06:02:27Z

Kouros8:

The ancient '''[[Cyprus|Cypriot]] Greek Orthodox Church'''(Greek: '''Εκκλησία της Κύπρου''') is one of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church organization|fourteen or fifteen]] independent ('autocephalous') [[Eastern Orthodox church]]es, which are in communion and in doctrinal agreement with one another but not all subject to one patriarch. It is one of the oldest autocephalous churches. The bishop of the capital, [[Salamis, Cyprus|Salamis]] (Konstantia), was constituted metropolitan by [[Emperor Zeno]], with the title of ''archbishop''.

The Apostle [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]], accompaniedby [[Barnabas]] and [[Mark the Evangelist|Mark]] (Barnabas' nephew), came to Cyprus in [[45]] AD to spread [[Christianity]]. Arriving at Salamis, they travelled across the island to Paphos, where Sergius Paulus was the first Roman official to convert to Christianity. In [[50]] AD St Barnabas returned to Cyprus accompanied by St Mark and set up his base in Salamis. He is considered to be the first Archbishop of Cyprus. In [[57]] AD, St Barnabas was stoned to death by the Jews on the outskirts of Salamis, where he was also buried. He thus became one of the first martyrs of Christianity.

A few of the Bishops who helped spread Christianity on the island were Lazarus, the Bishop of Kition, Herakleidios the Bishop of Tamasos, Avxivios the Bishop of Soloi, and Theodotos the Bishop of [[Kyrenia]].

Towards the end of the [[4th century]], Christianity had spread throughout the island. During this time [[Epiphanius of Salamis|St Epiphanius]] was Archbishop. His seat was in Salamis, which was renamed Constantia.

This independent position by ancient custom was recognized, against the claims of the [[Patriarch of Antioch]], at the [[Council of Ephesus]] ([[431]] CE), and by an edict of the Byzantine emperor Zeno. When the Archbishop of Antioch tried to abolish the Cyprus church's autocephaly, the Cypriot clergy denounced this before the [[Council of Ephesus|Third Ecumenical Synod]], which convened in [[434]] AD in [[Ephesos]]. The Synod ratified the autocephaly of the Church of Cyprus by its 8th canon. In [[478]] AD, Archbishop Anthemios of Cyprus, following a vision, found the grave of St Barnabas and his remains. On St Barnabas's chest rested a copy of [[Matthew the Evangelist|St Mathew]]'s Gospel. The church had sent a cogent argument on its own behalf to the Emperor the alleged body of its reputed founder [[Barnabas]], just then having been most opportunely discovered at Salamis by Archbishop Anthemios. Zeno confirmed the status of the Church of Cyprus and granted its Archbishop the '''''"three privileges"''''': namely to sign his name in '''cinnabar''', an ink made [[vermilion]] by the addition of the mineral cinnabar; to wear purple instead of black robes under his vestments; and to hold an imperial sceptre instead of a normal episcopal crosier.

Cyprus suffered greatly from Arab invasions in the following centuries, and during the reign of [[Justinian II]] the cities of [[Salamis]] (Constantia), Kourion and [[Paphos]] were sacked. At the advice of the Emperor, the Archbishop fled to the [[Hellespont]] along with the survivors, and established the city of '''''Nova Justiniana''''' (Greek: Νέα Ιουστινιανή), named after the Emperor, near the city of [[Cyzicus]]. In [[692]] the [[Quinisext Council]] (also called "in Trullo") reconfirmed the status and privileges of the exiled Archbishop and in [[698]], when the Arabs were driven out of Cyprus, the Archbishop returned but retained the title of '''''"Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus"''''': a custom that, along with the "three privileges", continues to this day.

After the establishment of [[Kingdom of Cyprus]] the Catholic kings gradually reduced the number of orthodox bishops from 14 to 4 and forced those away from their towns. The archbishop was moved from Nicosia to the region of Solia, near [[Morphou]], the bishop of [[Larnaca]] was moved to the village of Lefkara etc. Each orthodox bishop was under the Catholic bishop of the area. The Catholic church tried on occasion to force the orthodox bishops to make concessions on the differences in doctrine and practices between the two churches, sometimes with threats and sometimes using violence and torture, as in the case of the 13 monks in Kantara. Moreover the properties of many monasteries were confiscated. The persecutions, especially during the Frankish period, did not succeed in uprooting the faith of the Orthodox Greek Cypriots.

The Franks were succeeded by the Venetiand in 1489 without any significant change to the status of the orthodox church. The conquest of Cyprus by the Ottoman Empire in [[1571]] led to the recognition of the Orthodox church as the only legal Christian church. The church was considered by the Ottomans to be the political leadership of the Christian population (Rum millet) and was responsible for collecting taxes. Because of the different policies of the Ottoman empire towards Muslim and non Muslim citizens, especially regarding taxation, certain Christians converted to Islam. These are known in Cyprus with the name "Linopampakoi".

Attempts were made subsequently by the patriarchs of Antioch to claim authority over the Cypriot Church, the last as recently as [[1600]], but in vain.

Nevertheless, during the Cyprus under the Ottoman period (1571-1878) Cyprus went through hard times. People lived in insecurity and their life and property was constantly at the disposal of the Ottomans. The role of the Church in the preservation of faith, national identity and traditions of orthodox Greek cypriots was particularly important. The churches were not mere places of worship but were transformed to schools and places of ethnic inspiration.

The [[War of Independence|revolution in Greece]] in 1821, together with information of a revolutionary movement in Cyprus, resulted in the execution of [[Archbishop Kyprianos of Cyprus|Archbishop Kyprianos]] on [[July 9]], [[1821]] and Bishops Chrysanthos of Paphos, Meletios of Kitium, Lavrentios of Kyrenia, of the Abbot Josef of the Kykkos Monastery and other notables, clergymen and common people.

In [[1872]] archbishop Sofronios of Cyprus partipated in a council in [[Constantinople]] which condemned nationalism, triggered by the unilateral declaration of autocephaly by the Bulgarian church.

The purchase of Cyprus by the British in [[1878]] allowed more freedom in religious practices, such as the use of bells in churches (which were forbidden under the Ottomans). Some linopampakoi took advantage of the political change to convert back to christianity.

John Hackett published "A history of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus" in [[1901]]. At about the same time the church went through a crisis regarding the succession of the archbishop. The two candidates, [[Kyrillos II]] and [[Kyrillos III]] had mainly political differences (one was a nationalist whereas the other was a moderate).

Despite that Church gained more freedom by British, however, the British Administration interfered, in certain cases, using restrictive laws on the management of the Church and other areas of national and cultural activity. This led to the October [[1931]] riot organised by bishops who were also members of the legislative assembly. As a consequence of this uprise, the Bishops Nikodemos of Kition, and [[Makarios II|Makarios of Kyrenia]] were exiled and restrictions were imposed on the election of the Archbishop. As a result the filling of the Archbishop's throne was pending from [[1933]] (death of Archbishop Kyrillos the 3rd) to [[1946]], when the Bishop of Paphos Leontios was elected as the new Archbishop.

In [[1950]], [[Makarios III]] was elected Archbishop. While still bishop of Kition he had demonstrated strong intellectual and national activity. In 1949 he founded the Seminary «Apostle Varnavas» and in [[1950]] he organised the referendum on the Union ([[Enosis]]) between Cyprus and [[Greece]]. While archbishop he was the political leader of the [[EOKA]] liberation struggle in the years [[1955]]-[[1959]]. The British exiled him to the Seychelles because of his activities.

In [[1960]], Archbishop Makarios III was elected President of the newly established Republic of Cyprus. Disagreements of the other 3 bishops with Makarios lead to the [[Ecclesiastical coup]]. Following the dethronement of the Bishops of Paphos, Kitium and [[Kyrenia]] for conspiring against Makarios, two new Bishoprics were created: the Bishopric of [[Limassol]] which was detached from the Bishopric of Kition, and the Bishopric of Morfou which was detached from the Bishopric of Kyrenia. The Coup d'état of [[July 15]], [[1974]] forced Archbishop Makarios III to leave the island. He returned in December 1974.

The coup was followed by the [[Turkish Invasion of Cyprus|Turkish invasion]] of [[July 20]] 1974 which affected significantly the Church and its flock: as 35% of Cyprus' territory came under Turkish occupation, hundreds of thousands of orthodox Christians were displaced and those that couldn't or didn't want to leave (20,000 initially) faced oppression. As of May [[2001]] figures only 421 Greek Cypriots and 155 Maronites remain in North Cyprus.

The destruction of Christian monuments was another important consequence. Churches containing Byzantine icons, frescoes and mosaics of incalculable value have been pillaged by antiquities dealers and sold on the black market. One of the most characteristic cases of pillage has been the case of the mosaics of Panayia of Kanakaria of the [[6th century]] AC, which were finally returned to the Church of Cyprus, following a ruling by the Indianapolis Court. In the occupied areas of Cyprus there are 514 churches, chapels and monasteries, many of whom were converted to mosques, museums or abandoned.

On [[August 3]], [[1977]], Archbishop Makarios died and was succeeded by Chrysostomos, the current Archbishop. In [[1979]], the new Statutory Charter of the Church of Cyprus was drawn up and approved replacing the old one of [[1914]].

==Holy Synod==
The Holy Synod of the Autocephalous Church of Cyprus is the highest Church Authority in Cyprus. Its task is to examine and provide solutions on all issues concerning the Church of Cyprus. It consists of his Beatitude the Archbishop of Cyprus as the Head of the Holy Synod, the Bishops of [[Paphos]], [[Kition]], [[Kyrenia]], [[Limassol]] and [[Morphou]], the Suffragan Bishops of Salamis, Trimithous and Arsinoe and the Bishop of Kykko Nikiforos, as regular members.

The Holy Synod meets regularly in the first week after [[Easter]] and in the first fortnight of the months of February and September. It meets in ad hoc sessions when it is deemed necessary or when two of its members put forward a request.

==See also==
*[[List of Archbishops of Cyprus]]

==Source==
*[http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/cyphome/govhome.nsf/LookupIDs/56EFF47249680FF2C2256AA2004554CC?OpenDocument&languageNo=1 Official Cypriot Government (About Church of Cyprus)]

==External links==
*[http://www.churchofcyprus.org.cy/ Orthodox Church of Cyprus], official site
*[http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-orthodox-cyprus.htm Orthodox Church of Cyprus], scholarly site

{{Credit wikipedia}}

[[Category:Eastern Orthodox churches]]

Cypriot Orthodox Church

2007-12-26T06:01:06Z

Kouros8:

The ancient '''[[Cyprus|Cypriot]] Greek Orthodox Church'''(Greek '''Εκκλησία της Κύπρου''') is one of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church organization|fourteen or fifteen]] independent ('autocephalous') [[Eastern Orthodox church]]es, which are in communion and in doctrinal agreement with one another but not all subject to one patriarch. It is one of the oldest autocephalous churches. The bishop of the capital, [[Salamis, Cyprus|Salamis]] (Konstantia), was constituted metropolitan by [[Emperor Zeno]], with the title of ''archbishop''.

The Apostle [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]], accompaniedby [[Barnabas]] and [[Mark the Evangelist|Mark]] (Barnabas' nephew), came to Cyprus in [[45]] AD to spread [[Christianity]]. Arriving at Salamis, they travelled across the island to Paphos, where Sergius Paulus was the first Roman official to convert to Christianity. In [[50]] AD St Barnabas returned to Cyprus accompanied by St Mark and set up his base in Salamis. He is considered to be the first Archbishop of Cyprus. In [[57]] AD, St Barnabas was stoned to death by the Jews on the outskirts of Salamis, where he was also buried. He thus became one of the first martyrs of Christianity.

A few of the Bishops who helped spread Christianity on the island were Lazarus, the Bishop of Kition, Herakleidios the Bishop of Tamasos, Avxivios the Bishop of Soloi, and Theodotos the Bishop of [[Kyrenia]].

Towards the end of the [[4th century]], Christianity had spread throughout the island. During this time [[Epiphanius of Salamis|St Epiphanius]] was Archbishop. His seat was in Salamis, which was renamed Constantia.

This independent position by ancient custom was recognized, against the claims of the [[Patriarch of Antioch]], at the [[Council of Ephesus]] ([[431]] CE), and by an edict of the Byzantine emperor Zeno. When the Archbishop of Antioch tried to abolish the Cyprus church's autocephaly, the Cypriot clergy denounced this before the [[Council of Ephesus|Third Ecumenical Synod]], which convened in [[434]] AD in [[Ephesos]]. The Synod ratified the autocephaly of the Church of Cyprus by its 8th canon. In [[478]] AD, Archbishop Anthemios of Cyprus, following a vision, found the grave of St Barnabas and his remains. On St Barnabas's chest rested a copy of [[Matthew the Evangelist|St Mathew]]'s Gospel. The church had sent a cogent argument on its own behalf to the Emperor the alleged body of its reputed founder [[Barnabas]], just then having been most opportunely discovered at Salamis by Archbishop Anthemios. Zeno confirmed the status of the Church of Cyprus and granted its Archbishop the '''''"three privileges"''''': namely to sign his name in '''cinnabar''', an ink made [[vermilion]] by the addition of the mineral cinnabar; to wear purple instead of black robes under his vestments; and to hold an imperial sceptre instead of a normal episcopal crosier.

Cyprus suffered greatly from Arab invasions in the following centuries, and during the reign of [[Justinian II]] the cities of [[Salamis]] (Constantia), Kourion and [[Paphos]] were sacked. At the advice of the Emperor, the Archbishop fled to the [[Hellespont]] along with the survivors, and established the city of '''''Nova Justiniana''''' (Greek: Νέα Ιουστινιανή), named after the Emperor, near the city of [[Cyzicus]]. In [[692]] the [[Quinisext Council]] (also called "in Trullo") reconfirmed the status and privileges of the exiled Archbishop and in [[698]], when the Arabs were driven out of Cyprus, the Archbishop returned but retained the title of '''''"Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus"''''': a custom that, along with the "three privileges", continues to this day.

After the establishment of [[Kingdom of Cyprus]] the Catholic kings gradually reduced the number of orthodox bishops from 14 to 4 and forced those away from their towns. The archbishop was moved from Nicosia to the region of Solia, near [[Morphou]], the bishop of [[Larnaca]] was moved to the village of Lefkara etc. Each orthodox bishop was under the Catholic bishop of the area. The Catholic church tried on occasion to force the orthodox bishops to make concessions on the differences in doctrine and practices between the two churches, sometimes with threats and sometimes using violence and torture, as in the case of the 13 monks in Kantara. Moreover the properties of many monasteries were confiscated. The persecutions, especially during the Frankish period, did not succeed in uprooting the faith of the Orthodox Greek Cypriots.

The Franks were succeeded by the Venetiand in 1489 without any significant change to the status of the orthodox church. The conquest of Cyprus by the Ottoman Empire in [[1571]] led to the recognition of the Orthodox church as the only legal Christian church. The church was considered by the Ottomans to be the political leadership of the Christian population (Rum millet) and was responsible for collecting taxes. Because of the different policies of the Ottoman empire towards Muslim and non Muslim citizens, especially regarding taxation, certain Christians converted to Islam. These are known in Cyprus with the name "Linopampakoi".

Attempts were made subsequently by the patriarchs of Antioch to claim authority over the Cypriot Church, the last as recently as [[1600]], but in vain.

Nevertheless, during the Cyprus under the Ottoman period (1571-1878) Cyprus went through hard times. People lived in insecurity and their life and property was constantly at the disposal of the Ottomans. The role of the Church in the preservation of faith, national identity and traditions of orthodox Greek cypriots was particularly important. The churches were not mere places of worship but were transformed to schools and places of ethnic inspiration.

The [[War of Independence|revolution in Greece]] in 1821, together with information of a revolutionary movement in Cyprus, resulted in the execution of [[Archbishop Kyprianos of Cyprus|Archbishop Kyprianos]] on [[July 9]], [[1821]] and Bishops Chrysanthos of Paphos, Meletios of Kitium, Lavrentios of Kyrenia, of the Abbot Josef of the Kykkos Monastery and other notables, clergymen and common people.

In [[1872]] archbishop Sofronios of Cyprus partipated in a council in [[Constantinople]] which condemned nationalism, triggered by the unilateral declaration of autocephaly by the Bulgarian church.

The purchase of Cyprus by the British in [[1878]] allowed more freedom in religious practices, such as the use of bells in churches (which were forbidden under the Ottomans). Some linopampakoi took advantage of the political change to convert back to christianity.

John Hackett published "A history of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus" in [[1901]]. At about the same time the church went through a crisis regarding the succession of the archbishop. The two candidates, [[Kyrillos II]] and [[Kyrillos III]] had mainly political differences (one was a nationalist whereas the other was a moderate).

Despite that Church gained more freedom by British, however, the British Administration interfered, in certain cases, using restrictive laws on the management of the Church and other areas of national and cultural activity. This led to the October [[1931]] riot organised by bishops who were also members of the legislative assembly. As a consequence of this uprise, the Bishops Nikodemos of Kition, and [[Makarios II|Makarios of Kyrenia]] were exiled and restrictions were imposed on the election of the Archbishop. As a result the filling of the Archbishop's throne was pending from [[1933]] (death of Archbishop Kyrillos the 3rd) to [[1946]], when the Bishop of Paphos Leontios was elected as the new Archbishop.

In [[1950]], [[Makarios III]] was elected Archbishop. While still bishop of Kition he had demonstrated strong intellectual and national activity. In 1949 he founded the Seminary «Apostle Varnavas» and in [[1950]] he organised the referendum on the Union ([[Enosis]]) between Cyprus and [[Greece]]. While archbishop he was the political leader of the [[EOKA]] liberation struggle in the years [[1955]]-[[1959]]. The British exiled him to the Seychelles because of his activities.

In [[1960]], Archbishop Makarios III was elected President of the newly established Republic of Cyprus. Disagreements of the other 3 bishops with Makarios lead to the [[Ecclesiastical coup]]. Following the dethronement of the Bishops of Paphos, Kitium and [[Kyrenia]] for conspiring against Makarios, two new Bishoprics were created: the Bishopric of [[Limassol]] which was detached from the Bishopric of Kition, and the Bishopric of Morfou which was detached from the Bishopric of Kyrenia. The Coup d'état of [[July 15]], [[1974]] forced Archbishop Makarios III to leave the island. He returned in December 1974.

The coup was followed by the [[Turkish Invasion of Cyprus|Turkish invasion]] of [[July 20]] 1974 which affected significantly the Church and its flock: as 35% of Cyprus' territory came under Turkish occupation, hundreds of thousands of orthodox Christians were displaced and those that couldn't or didn't want to leave (20,000 initially) faced oppression. As of May [[2001]] figures only 421 Greek Cypriots and 155 Maronites remain in North Cyprus.

The destruction of Christian monuments was another important consequence. Churches containing Byzantine icons, frescoes and mosaics of incalculable value have been pillaged by antiquities dealers and sold on the black market. One of the most characteristic cases of pillage has been the case of the mosaics of Panayia of Kanakaria of the [[6th century]] AC, which were finally returned to the Church of Cyprus, following a ruling by the Indianapolis Court. In the occupied areas of Cyprus there are 514 churches, chapels and monasteries, many of whom were converted to mosques, museums or abandoned.

On [[August 3]], [[1977]], Archbishop Makarios died and was succeeded by Chrysostomos, the current Archbishop. In [[1979]], the new Statutory Charter of the Church of Cyprus was drawn up and approved replacing the old one of [[1914]].

==Holy Synod==
The Holy Synod of the Autocephalous Church of Cyprus is the highest Church Authority in Cyprus. Its task is to examine and provide solutions on all issues concerning the Church of Cyprus. It consists of his Beatitude the Archbishop of Cyprus as the Head of the Holy Synod, the Bishops of [[Paphos]], [[Kition]], [[Kyrenia]], [[Limassol]] and [[Morphou]], the Suffragan Bishops of Salamis, Trimithous and Arsinoe and the Bishop of Kykko Nikiforos, as regular members.

The Holy Synod meets regularly in the first week after [[Easter]] and in the first fortnight of the months of February and September. It meets in ad hoc sessions when it is deemed necessary or when two of its members put forward a request.

==See also==
*[[List of Archbishops of Cyprus]]

==Source==
*[http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/cyphome/govhome.nsf/LookupIDs/56EFF47249680FF2C2256AA2004554CC?OpenDocument&languageNo=1 Official Cypriot Government (About Church of Cyprus)]

==External links==
*[http://www.churchofcyprus.org.cy/ Orthodox Church of Cyprus], official site
*[http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-orthodox-cyprus.htm Orthodox Church of Cyprus], scholarly site

{{Credit wikipedia}}

[[Category:Eastern Orthodox churches]]

Cypriot Orthodox Church

2007-12-26T06:00:06Z

Kouros8:

The ancient '''[[Cyprus|Cypriot]]Greek Orthodox Church'''(Greek '''Εκκλησία της Κύπρου''') is one of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church organization|fourteen or fifteen]] independent ('autocephalous') [[Eastern Orthodox church]]es, which are in communion and in doctrinal agreement with one another but not all subject to one patriarch. It is one of the oldest autocephalous churches. The bishop of the capital, [[Salamis, Cyprus|Salamis]] (Konstantia), was constituted metropolitan by [[Emperor Zeno]], with the title of ''archbishop''.

The Apostle [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]], accompaniedby [[Barnabas]] and [[Mark the Evangelist|Mark]] (Barnabas' nephew), came to Cyprus in [[45]] AD to spread [[Christianity]]. Arriving at Salamis, they travelled across the island to Paphos, where Sergius Paulus was the first Roman official to convert to Christianity. In [[50]] AD St Barnabas returned to Cyprus accompanied by St Mark and set up his base in Salamis. He is considered to be the first Archbishop of Cyprus. In [[57]] AD, St Barnabas was stoned to death by the Jews on the outskirts of Salamis, where he was also buried. He thus became one of the first martyrs of Christianity.

A few of the Bishops who helped spread Christianity on the island were Lazarus, the Bishop of Kition, Herakleidios the Bishop of Tamasos, Avxivios the Bishop of Soloi, and Theodotos the Bishop of [[Kyrenia]].

Towards the end of the [[4th century]], Christianity had spread throughout the island. During this time [[Epiphanius of Salamis|St Epiphanius]] was Archbishop. His seat was in Salamis, which was renamed Constantia.

This independent position by ancient custom was recognized, against the claims of the [[Patriarch of Antioch]], at the [[Council of Ephesus]] ([[431]] CE), and by an edict of the Byzantine emperor Zeno. When the Archbishop of Antioch tried to abolish the Cyprus church's autocephaly, the Cypriot clergy denounced this before the [[Council of Ephesus|Third Ecumenical Synod]], which convened in [[434]] AD in [[Ephesos]]. The Synod ratified the autocephaly of the Church of Cyprus by its 8th canon. In [[478]] AD, Archbishop Anthemios of Cyprus, following a vision, found the grave of St Barnabas and his remains. On St Barnabas's chest rested a copy of [[Matthew the Evangelist|St Mathew]]'s Gospel. The church had sent a cogent argument on its own behalf to the Emperor the alleged body of its reputed founder [[Barnabas]], just then having been most opportunely discovered at Salamis by Archbishop Anthemios. Zeno confirmed the status of the Church of Cyprus and granted its Archbishop the '''''"three privileges"''''': namely to sign his name in '''cinnabar''', an ink made [[vermilion]] by the addition of the mineral cinnabar; to wear purple instead of black robes under his vestments; and to hold an imperial sceptre instead of a normal episcopal crosier.

Cyprus suffered greatly from Arab invasions in the following centuries, and during the reign of [[Justinian II]] the cities of [[Salamis]] (Constantia), Kourion and [[Paphos]] were sacked. At the advice of the Emperor, the Archbishop fled to the [[Hellespont]] along with the survivors, and established the city of '''''Nova Justiniana''''' (Greek: Νέα Ιουστινιανή), named after the Emperor, near the city of [[Cyzicus]]. In [[692]] the [[Quinisext Council]] (also called "in Trullo") reconfirmed the status and privileges of the exiled Archbishop and in [[698]], when the Arabs were driven out of Cyprus, the Archbishop returned but retained the title of '''''"Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus"''''': a custom that, along with the "three privileges", continues to this day.

After the establishment of [[Kingdom of Cyprus]] the Catholic kings gradually reduced the number of orthodox bishops from 14 to 4 and forced those away from their towns. The archbishop was moved from Nicosia to the region of Solia, near [[Morphou]], the bishop of [[Larnaca]] was moved to the village of Lefkara etc. Each orthodox bishop was under the Catholic bishop of the area. The Catholic church tried on occasion to force the orthodox bishops to make concessions on the differences in doctrine and practices between the two churches, sometimes with threats and sometimes using violence and torture, as in the case of the 13 monks in Kantara. Moreover the properties of many monasteries were confiscated. The persecutions, especially during the Frankish period, did not succeed in uprooting the faith of the Orthodox Greek Cypriots.

The Franks were succeeded by the Venetiand in 1489 without any significant change to the status of the orthodox church. The conquest of Cyprus by the Ottoman Empire in [[1571]] led to the recognition of the Orthodox church as the only legal Christian church. The church was considered by the Ottomans to be the political leadership of the Christian population (Rum millet) and was responsible for collecting taxes. Because of the different policies of the Ottoman empire towards Muslim and non Muslim citizens, especially regarding taxation, certain Christians converted to Islam. These are known in Cyprus with the name "Linopampakoi".

Attempts were made subsequently by the patriarchs of Antioch to claim authority over the Cypriot Church, the last as recently as [[1600]], but in vain.

Nevertheless, during the Cyprus under the Ottoman period (1571-1878) Cyprus went through hard times. People lived in insecurity and their life and property was constantly at the disposal of the Ottomans. The role of the Church in the preservation of faith, national identity and traditions of orthodox Greek cypriots was particularly important. The churches were not mere places of worship but were transformed to schools and places of ethnic inspiration.

The [[War of Independence|revolution in Greece]] in 1821, together with information of a revolutionary movement in Cyprus, resulted in the execution of [[Archbishop Kyprianos of Cyprus|Archbishop Kyprianos]] on [[July 9]], [[1821]] and Bishops Chrysanthos of Paphos, Meletios of Kitium, Lavrentios of Kyrenia, of the Abbot Josef of the Kykkos Monastery and other notables, clergymen and common people.

In [[1872]] archbishop Sofronios of Cyprus partipated in a council in [[Constantinople]] which condemned nationalism, triggered by the unilateral declaration of autocephaly by the Bulgarian church.

The purchase of Cyprus by the British in [[1878]] allowed more freedom in religious practices, such as the use of bells in churches (which were forbidden under the Ottomans). Some linopampakoi took advantage of the political change to convert back to christianity.

John Hackett published "A history of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus" in [[1901]]. At about the same time the church went through a crisis regarding the succession of the archbishop. The two candidates, [[Kyrillos II]] and [[Kyrillos III]] had mainly political differences (one was a nationalist whereas the other was a moderate).

Despite that Church gained more freedom by British, however, the British Administration interfered, in certain cases, using restrictive laws on the management of the Church and other areas of national and cultural activity. This led to the October [[1931]] riot organised by bishops who were also members of the legislative assembly. As a consequence of this uprise, the Bishops Nikodemos of Kition, and [[Makarios II|Makarios of Kyrenia]] were exiled and restrictions were imposed on the election of the Archbishop. As a result the filling of the Archbishop's throne was pending from [[1933]] (death of Archbishop Kyrillos the 3rd) to [[1946]], when the Bishop of Paphos Leontios was elected as the new Archbishop.

In [[1950]], [[Makarios III]] was elected Archbishop. While still bishop of Kition he had demonstrated strong intellectual and national activity. In 1949 he founded the Seminary «Apostle Varnavas» and in [[1950]] he organised the referendum on the Union ([[Enosis]]) between Cyprus and [[Greece]]. While archbishop he was the political leader of the [[EOKA]] liberation struggle in the years [[1955]]-[[1959]]. The British exiled him to the Seychelles because of his activities.

In [[1960]], Archbishop Makarios III was elected President of the newly established Republic of Cyprus. Disagreements of the other 3 bishops with Makarios lead to the [[Ecclesiastical coup]]. Following the dethronement of the Bishops of Paphos, Kitium and [[Kyrenia]] for conspiring against Makarios, two new Bishoprics were created: the Bishopric of [[Limassol]] which was detached from the Bishopric of Kition, and the Bishopric of Morfou which was detached from the Bishopric of Kyrenia. The Coup d'état of [[July 15]], [[1974]] forced Archbishop Makarios III to leave the island. He returned in December 1974.

The coup was followed by the [[Turkish Invasion of Cyprus|Turkish invasion]] of [[July 20]] 1974 which affected significantly the Church and its flock: as 35% of Cyprus' territory came under Turkish occupation, hundreds of thousands of orthodox Christians were displaced and those that couldn't or didn't want to leave (20,000 initially) faced oppression. As of May [[2001]] figures only 421 Greek Cypriots and 155 Maronites remain in North Cyprus.

The destruction of Christian monuments was another important consequence. Churches containing Byzantine icons, frescoes and mosaics of incalculable value have been pillaged by antiquities dealers and sold on the black market. One of the most characteristic cases of pillage has been the case of the mosaics of Panayia of Kanakaria of the [[6th century]] AC, which were finally returned to the Church of Cyprus, following a ruling by the Indianapolis Court. In the occupied areas of Cyprus there are 514 churches, chapels and monasteries, many of whom were converted to mosques, museums or abandoned.

On [[August 3]], [[1977]], Archbishop Makarios died and was succeeded by Chrysostomos, the current Archbishop. In [[1979]], the new Statutory Charter of the Church of Cyprus was drawn up and approved replacing the old one of [[1914]].

==Holy Synod==
The Holy Synod of the Autocephalous Church of Cyprus is the highest Church Authority in Cyprus. Its task is to examine and provide solutions on all issues concerning the Church of Cyprus. It consists of his Beatitude the Archbishop of Cyprus as the Head of the Holy Synod, the Bishops of [[Paphos]], [[Kition]], [[Kyrenia]], [[Limassol]] and [[Morphou]], the Suffragan Bishops of Salamis, Trimithous and Arsinoe and the Bishop of Kykko Nikiforos, as regular members.

The Holy Synod meets regularly in the first week after [[Easter]] and in the first fortnight of the months of February and September. It meets in ad hoc sessions when it is deemed necessary or when two of its members put forward a request.

==See also==
*[[List of Archbishops of Cyprus]]

==Source==
*[http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/cyphome/govhome.nsf/LookupIDs/56EFF47249680FF2C2256AA2004554CC?OpenDocument&languageNo=1 Official Cypriot Government (About Church of Cyprus)]

==External links==
*[http://www.churchofcyprus.org.cy/ Orthodox Church of Cyprus], official site
*[http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-orthodox-cyprus.htm Orthodox Church of Cyprus], scholarly site

{{Credit wikipedia}}

[[Category:Eastern Orthodox churches]]