population and religion. Orthodox Church of Cyprus What is the religion in Cyprus
from biblical times to the present dayCypriot Orthodox Church
- one of the oldest autocephalous local churches, founded in 47 by the Apostle Barnabas. Only in the southern part of Cyprus there are more than 500 temples and 40 monasteries. The oldest of them keep references to the events of the period of early Christianity and the Byzantine period, the oldest Christian relics and icons of the first icon painters.
Chapter 1. Foundation of the Cypriot Orthodox Church. Holy Apostles in Cyprus. The spread of Christianity. Arrival in Cyprus of the Relics of the Passion of the Lord and the construction of monasteries.
From the "Acts of the Holy Apostles" we know that Christianity came to Cyprus back in apostolic times: the Apostles Paul, Barnabas and Mark brought the Word of God to the island. After the stoning of the First Martyr Archdeacon Stephen and subsequent persecution, Jerusalem Christians scattered throughout the world. Around the year 45, the apostles Paul and Barnabas, “by birth a Cyprian” (Acts IV, 36) arrived on the island and went from (Barnabas’ hometown) to. After meeting with the apostles, the Roman proconsul Sergius Paul converted to Christianity, becoming the first high-ranking representative of the Roman Empire - a Christian (Acts XIII, 4 - 12). During their stay on the island, the apostles laid the foundations of the Cypriot Orthodox Church and ordained the first bishops. One of the first bishops - the Bishop of Kitia - was Lazarus, whom they met during their wanderings, who moved to the island after his resurrection.
In the year 50, Barnabas returned to Cyprus with his nephew Mark the Evangelist (Acts XV, 39), they settled in Salamis. Salamis became the center for the spread of the Orthodox Church in Cyprus, and Barnabas became an archbishop. The number of Christians on the island increased, Barnabas organized the life of the Christian community in love and mutual assistance. During the persecution of Nero, in 57, Barnabas was captured while preaching, and beaten with stones outside the walls of the city. Mark found the body of Barnabas and buried him on the western side of the city, placing the handwritten Gospel of Matthew on his chest.
During the time of persecution of Christians, many Cypriot bishops, presbyters and laity were martyred. The names of some of them have come down to us: Aristocles, Athanasius, Dimitrian, Diomedes, Iriklidis, Lukiy, Nemesius, Conon, Potamy. The first Christians were forced to hide from persecution in caves and catacombs. To this day, evidence of this era has survived:
Catacombs of Saint Solomon in Paphos. In the IV century BC. these catacombs were carved into limestone rocks for simple burials, and during the persecution (from the middle of the 1st to the beginning of the 4th centuries), the first Christians found refuge here. In the 2nd century, Solomonia found shelter here with her 7 sons, who fled from Palestine, but was captured along with her children and martyred. The Holy Great Martyr Solomonia is buried in one of the grottoes, there is a source of holy water in the catacombs, which was used by the first Christians, and an ancient church from the time of the Crusaders has also been preserved, in which you can see several icons of St. Solomoniya.
the dungeon of Saint Catherine at Salamis. Catherine was born in 287 in the family of the ruler Salamis Constantine. She grew up in Alexandria, where her father was sent as governor, and after the death of her father, at the age of 18, she returned to Salamis, where her uncle ruled. A certain hermit converted her to Christianity, and Catherine decided to devote her life to serving Jesus Christ. During the persecution of Christians, fearing the wrath of the emperor, his uncle imprisoned Saint Catherine in a dungeon near Salamis, and then exiled to Alexandria, where she was martyred on a wheel. A chapel has been erected above the former dungeon of St. Catherine.
Hrisokawa near Kirinea. The Apostles Paul and Barnabas, during their wanderings in Cyprus, also visited Kyrenia, where they found many followers. Although Christianity became the official religion of the empire in 313, Kyrenia was ruled by Faunius Licius until 324, and persecution continued throughout this period. The first Christians hid in the catacombs of Hrisokawa, at the same time a bishopric was established.
Equal-to-the-Apostles Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine Aurelius Flavius (Constantine the Great), made a huge contribution to the spread of Christianity, both as a world religion, and in Cyprus. At the age of about 80, she undertook a pilgrimage to Palestine to search for the site of the crucifixion of Christ. As a result of the expedition, the burial place of Christ was discovered - the Holy Sepulcher, Golgotha, the Life-Giving Cross and the crosses of two crucified thieves, and other relics of the Passion of the Lord. In 327, returning from Palestine to Constantinople, caught in a storm off the coast of Cyprus, Helen landed on the island. As a token of gratitude to the Lord for salvation, she founded several monasteries and churches:, guarded to this day by a particle of the Life-Giving Cross; (currently Omodos Church), which holds part of the rope that Jesus was tied to the Cross; (later - the Church of Saints Constantine and Helena), with a particle of the Life-Giving Cross. According to various testimonies, the foundation of the monastery of the Holy Trinity (later - the monastery of St. Helena) on the southern slope of Pentadaktylos, and the monastery of St. Nicholas are also associated with the name of St. Helena.
Since that time, the development of monasticism, both cenobitic and hermitic, began in Cyprus. Old monasteries expanded and new ones were founded: St. Nicholas, St.
Despite the isolation of the island, the Cypriot Orthodox Church actively participated in the life of the Christian Church, Ecumenical Councils, starting from the first in 325, were held with the participation of several bishops from Cyprus.
Chapter 2. Byzantine period (395-1191). Participation in the Ecumenical Councils. Autocephaly of the Cypriot Church. The era of iconoclasm. Arab raids.
After the final division of the Roman Empire in 395, Cyprus became part of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine) with its center in Antioch. Christianity was recognized as the official religion of the state, the church received new opportunities for development. From the very beginning, the Cypriot Church was in the thick of events in the Orthodox world: it participated in Ecumenical and local councils, in the fight against heretical teachings, carried out educational work - the writings of Cypriot theologians became widely known in the Christian world. The See of Antioch initially insisted on the inclusion of the Cypriot Orthodox Church into its membership as an ordinary diocese. But the Cypriot community remained independent, citing an ancient apostolic origin.
One of the early church fathers, who enjoyed the greatest authority among the rulers of the island and among the leaders of the church, and the love and respect of his followers, was Archbishop Epiphanius of Cyprus (Epiphanius of Salam, Greek ?????????? ?????? ok 315-403). As a result of the activities of Archbishop Epiphanius, favorable conditions were created for the Cypriot Church to receive autocephaly. The archbishop contributed to the awakening of monasticism on the island and collected considerable funds for the construction and development of monasteries, which attracted many monks from different countries. Epiphanius was an ardent opponent of heretical teachings, his participation in many great controversies forced him to travel to different countries and provinces. In addition, Epiphanius is the author of many works that are invaluable for studying the history of the ancient church and theology. In Salamis, Epiphanius built a large cathedral, which became the church center of the island, and received the name of Epiphanius after his death - the ruins of this cathedral have survived to this day.
In 431, at the III Ecumenical Council, the issue of autocephaly of the Cypriot Orthodox Church was formally resolved: “if it is proved that the Cypriots enjoyed independence, then let them use it in the future.” Likewise, the primate of the Church of Antioch, John, does not mention Cyprus among the dioceses of his Church in his letter to St. Proclus.
Using the vague wording of the decision on the autocephaly of the Cypriot Church, an attempt to join it to the See of Antioch was made by Patriarch Peter Gnafevs of Antioch. In 478, Archbishop Anthemius of Cyprus turned to the Byzantine Emperor Flavius Zeno with a request for a final decision on the issue of autocephaly. Shortly before this, the Holy Apostle Barnabas appeared three times in a dream to Anthemius, he advised the archbishop to seek a solution to the issue in Constantinople, and also indicated the place of his burial. The next day, Anthemius found a burial in a cave near Constance () and found the relics of the apostle Barnabas, on his chest he found a handwritten Gospel of Matthew. Archbishop Anthemius went to Constantinople with a story about the miraculous finding of relics, and presented the emperor with the found Gospel and part of the relics of the holy apostle. The acquisition of the relics of the holy Apostle Barnabas and the Gospel of Matthew served as strong evidence of the independence of the Cypriot Church, as founded by the apostle himself. At the direction of the emperor, a Synod was convened in Constantinople, which confirmed the autocephaly of the Cypriot Church. In addition, the emperor granted the archbishops of Cyprus three most important privileges of the head of the autocephalous church: to sign official documents with cinnabar, to wear a purple mantle and the imperial scepter instead of the episcopal staff.
At the place where the relics of the Apostle Barnabas were found, around 488, Archbishop Anthemius of Cyprus, at his own expense and the money of Emperor Zenon, built a temple and founded the monastery of the Apostle Barnabas.
The Cypriot Orthodox Church played an important role in protecting icon veneration during the confrontation between iconoclasts and iconodules (730-843). Iconoclasts (the ruling secular elite), referring to the Old Testament, considered icons to be idols, and the veneration of icons was idolatry, and called for the destruction of all images of Jesus Christ and the saints. As a result, thousands of icons, frescoes, painted altars, statues of saints, and mosaics in many churches were destroyed. Iconodules (representatives of the church and ordinary laity) were persecuted - thus Bishop George of Constance was condemned at the Iconoclastic Cathedral for defending the veneration of icons.
From Constantinople, Syria and Egypt - the centers of iconoclasm, holy relics were smuggled to Cyprus for their preservation. In the monasteries of Cyprus, lists were kept to preserve information about which and where the icons were brought from and where they were buried. Many icons were saved in hidden cave temples, but often the hiding places remained unknown - the icon worshipers who brought the icons remained to live as hermits next to their shrines, to protect them, until the end of their days. In the 10th-12th centuries, during the period of land development, many caches with icons were discovered in Troodos, in many Cypriot monasteries legends are told about the miraculous acquisition of miraculous icons: the icon of Our Lady Machairas, attributed to the brush of St. Luke (today is in); icon of the Mother of God Troditissa (in the monastery of Troditissa), Ayia Napa Mother of God (c). Perhaps, somewhere in the Troodos caves, shrines lost 13 centuries ago remain to this day.
The Byzantine period was overshadowed by the centuries-old Byzantine-Arab wars, devastating raids on the island began. The inhabitants of Cyprus were destroyed during the raids or were surrounded by unbearable requisitions, many monasteries and temples were looted and destroyed, the cities of Constantia, Kourion and Paphos suffered most of all during the raids. In 649, there was the most cruel raid: Caliph Muawiyah sent 1,700 ships to Constance (Salamin). The city was captured, plundered and turned into ruins, and most of the inhabitants were killed.
In 688, the Arabs captured all the major cities of Cyprus. Despite the incessant mainland wars, Emperor Justinian II of Byzantium and Caliph Abd al-Malik were able to reach an unprecedented agreement: Cyprus is under the rule of both Byzantium and the Arab Caliphate as a condominium. For almost 300 years, until 965, Cyprus served as a transshipment base for the troops of the two empires, enduring regular skirmishes between the Arabs and the Byzantines. In 691, Archbishop John of Cyprus turned to Justinian II with a request to save his flock. By order of Justinian II, the Cypriot Orthodox see with part of the surviving population of Constantia was transported to Artaka (modern Erdek, Turkey), where a castle and shipyards were built for the settlers. The new city, which was more of a naval base, was called New Justiniana. From that moment to this day, the archbishops of Cyprus have become known as the Archbishops of New Justiniana and all of Cyprus (the title was approved by Canon 39 of the Fifth Council in 691).
In 965, Byzantium finally conquered the island. The liberation of the island from Arab raids and dues contributed to the flourishing of Cypriot monasticism. Part of the population, fearing raids, moved inland. There is a development of lands, the construction of new villages and the foundation of new monasteries: the Mother of God, St. Neophytus, Arak, the Blessed Virgin Mary Chrysoroyatissa. To strengthen the island, in the X-XII centuries, sentinel monasteries and fortresses, St. Hilarion, Bufavento were rebuilt.
In 1183-84, taking advantage of the unrest in Byzantium, Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus usurped power in Cyprus, in 1184 taking the title of despot. According to Nicetas Choniates, Isaac's reign was harsh and despotic. The new emperor of Byzantium, Isaac II Angel, unsuccessfully tried to return the island to Byzantium. Isaac Komnenos enlisted the support of King William II of Sicily, who had an agreement with the Sultan of Egypt, according to which Cyprus was to close the harbors for the Crusaders. The power of the usurper ended in 1191 during the III Crusade of Richard the Lionheart.
Chapter 3. Latin Domination (1191-1571). Lusignan Kingdom of Cyprus. Venetian domination. Roman Catholic Church in Cyprus.
In May 1191, during the III Crusade, Cyprus was conquered by the English king Richard I the Lionheart. On May 12, he married his bride Berengaria in the church of St. George in Lemessos, and already in June he sold the island to the Knights Templar and left for Jerusalem. A year later, the island passed to the former king of Jerusalem, Guy Lusignan, who founded the Kingdom of Cyprus. The economic and political heyday of the kingdom came in the second half of the 14th century, but the defeat in the Cypriot-Genoese war of 1373-1374 led to the economic decline and decline of the state. In 1489 the island became one of the Venetian colonies.
In the first half of the 15th century, during the reign of the Lusignan dynasty, Leonty Mahera created his Cypriot Chronicle.
The Venetians used Cyprus as a transit base for merchant and military fleets, built fortresses in Famagusta and Nicosia. The island is regularly raided by the troops of the Ottoman Empire. In 1570, despite a heroic rebuff, Famagusta fell in battle with the Ottoman troops.
With the formation of the Kingdom of Cyprus, and with the approval of Pope Celestine III, the Cypriot Archdiocese of the Latin Rite was established on the island with its center in Lefkosia (Nicosia) and three dioceses subordinate to it in Limassol, Paphos and Famagusta. In Nicosia, the grandiose Gothic Cathedral of Hagia Sophia (1209-1325) is being built.
The attempts of the Archbishop of Nicosia to spread Catholicism and completely subjugate Cyprus to his influence met with stubborn resistance from the traditional Cypriot Orthodox Church, which repeatedly led to interfaith conflicts. The Orthodox Church was subjected to pressure and persecution: most of the property was confiscated in favor of the Catholic Church, Orthodox bishops were taxed; the post of Archbishop of the Orthodox Church was abolished, and the number of dioceses was reduced from 14 to 4. For disobedience to the Catholic Church, the Orthodox archbishops Isaiah and Neofit were expelled from the island. In 1231, thirteen monks of the Kantar Monastery condemned the innovations of the Catholic Church in Cyprus, for which they were imprisoned and later burned at the stake.
The dominance of the Catholic Church in Cyprus ended after the conquest of the island by the Ottoman Empire in 1571. The Catholic clergy were destroyed by the Turks or fled from the island. Catholic churches and monasteries were plundered and rebuilt into mosques (Hagia Sophia in Nicosia, St. Nicholas Cathedral in Famagusta, St. George's Cathedral in Limassol), or transferred to the Orthodox Church (Bella Pais Abbey in the mountains of Kyrenia).
Chapter 4. Ottoman rule (1571-1878). Archbishop - spiritual leader and leader of the people Fight for independence.
The Turks carried out raids throughout the Venetian domination. Sultan Selim II declared that he considered Cyprus an integral part of the Ottoman Empire, and demanded that the island be transferred to him, threatening to take it by force if he refused. On July 1, 1570, the troops of the Ottoman Empire defeated Limassol; on September 9, after a 45-day siege, Nicosia was captured; on September 17, the siege of the last Venetian fortress, Famagusta, began; on September 1, 1951, Famagusta capitulated. In 1573, a peace treaty was signed in which Venice renounced its rights to Cyprus.
The Turks settled in Cyprus - the soldiers were generously distributed land plots. The non-Muslim population was taxed, as the Muslim rulers encouraged the inhabitants of the occupied territories to convert to Islam, but there was no mass conversion.
Ottoman rule in every possible way contributed to the strengthening of the Cypriot Orthodox Church, in order to avoid the strengthening of the influence of the Western European Catholic Church: serfdom, common under the Byzantine emperors, was abolished; the non-Muslim population of the island received the right to self-government; All privileges were returned to the Orthodox Church, as well as property and lands confiscated by the Catholics. The archbishop of the Cypriot Orthodox Church became not only a religious leader, but also a leader of the people, defending his interests in the face of the Ottoman rulers. The archbishops were made responsible for order on the island and even for the timely collection of taxes.
High taxes and impunity of local authorities caused a number of uprisings, all of which were suppressed. In the period from 1572 to 1668 there were 28 such uprisings. The struggle of Greece for independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1821, and its acquisition in 1829, provoked an uprising in Cyprus. The governor of the island, Mehmet Kyuchuk, responded harshly to the armed rebellions: he ordered 486 noble Cypriots to come to Nicosia and, having closed the gates of the city, beheaded or hanged 470 of them. Among those executed were Bishop Chrysanthus of Paphos, Bishop Meletios of Kition, and Bishop Lawrence of Kyrenia. Archbishop Cyprian of Cyprus, who supported the uprising, was publicly hanged on a tree opposite the Lusignan Palace. The remains of Archbishop Cyprian and Bishops Chrysanthus, Meletios and Lawrence are buried at the Faneromeni temple in Nicosia. Many Orthodox monasteries and churches were taken away and turned into mosques and utility rooms. The restoration of the Cypriot Orthodox Church took place in the same year 1821: Patriarch Seraphim of Antioch sent bishops to Cyprus, who ordained the Cypriot Archbishop and three bishops.
Greece gained independence in 1828, Cyprus remained part of the empire.
Turkey transferred Cyprus to the British Empire as part of an allied treaty, while Cyprus simply changed the Ottoman occupation to the British one.
Chapter 5. British colonial rule (1878-1960). The struggle for independence. Conflicts between the Greek and Turkish communities.
In 1878, the British Empire concluded the Secret Cyprus Convention with Turkey: Turkey transfers Cyprus to Britain, in return receives military assistance if Russia, holding the captured Batum, Ardagan and Kars, continues to conquer the lands of Asia Minor. The convention was annulled by Great Britain on October 5, 1914, after Turkey entered the First World War on the side of Germany. The island was finally annexed in 1914 during the First World War, the power on the island passed to the British governor.
The news of the end of Ottoman rule was greeted with joy by the people and the clergy, but hope quickly faded. After the announcement of the colonization of Cyprus by Great Britain in 1925, a liberation movement began on the island, which included the church.
Already in 1931, riots broke out in Cyprus, demanding independence from England and reunification with Greece, to suppress them, Great Britain hired a “reserve” police force from Turkish Cypriots. Throughout the history of the colonization of Cyprus, and even later, Great Britain pitted the Greek and Turkish communities against each other.
In the Second World War, the Greek Cypriots are fighting on the side of Great Britain, at the end of the war, Cyprus is counting on the recognition of its independence. The independence movement is growing, in the 1950 referendum the majority votes for reunification with Greece, but Britain does not recognize the results of the referendum. From 1955 to 1959, the national organization EOKA (Union of Fighters for the Liberation of the Nation), with the support of the church, conducts armed demonstrations, England increases its military presence and resorts to repression, the Turkish community opposes the Greek Cypriots and forms its militant organization. In 1960, the independence of Cyprus was declared, but there was no unification with Greece.
The UK retained two exclaves in the territory: the Dhekelia and Akrotiri military bases.
Chapter 6 Division of Cyprus 1974. Modern arrangement.
In 1960, the independence of Cyprus was declared. Archbishop Macarius (1959-1977) was proclaimed President of the Republic of Cyprus.
Intercommunal tension is growing, in response to the idea of unification with Greece, the Turkish Cypriots put forward the idea of \u200b\u200bdividing the island. Armed formations are formed on both sides, supported and controlled by Greece and Turkey. There are clashes and harassment on both sides. Already in 1964, UN peacekeeping forces arrived on the island to resolve the conflict, and they still remain on the island.
In 1974, the United States, through Greece, organized a coup d'état in Cyprus, and the president, Archbishop Macarius III, was removed from his post. The Turkish army, under the pretext of restoring the republic, invaded the territory of the island and occupied the northern part. A massive outflow of the population began from the occupied territory, the remaining population was subjected to persecution. In the occupied northern part of the island, 514 Orthodox churches, chapels and monasteries remain, which have been turned into mosques or are in ruins.
To date, the Head of the autocephalous Cypriot Orthodox Church is the Archbishop of the New Osprey of Justiniana and all of Cyprus, Chrysostomos II. The highest authority is the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus, consisting of the archbishop and bishops of Paphos, Kitia, Kyrenia, Limassol, Morph and vicar bishops as permanent members. The Bishops of Kyrnia and Morf are in Nicosia due to the Turkish occupation of northern Cyprus.
Administratively, the church is divided into five dioceses with the status of metropolises: Paphos, Kition, Kyrenia, Limassol and Morphou. More than 500 churches and 40 monasteries are subordinate to the Cypriot Orthodox Church.
The Cypriot Orthodox Church is actively involved in the public life of the island and promotes the development of tourism on the island.
What does an ordinary Russian tourist know about the population of Cyprus, about its customs and culture? Most people consider Cypriots to be exactly the same as Greeks, but this is far from the case.
Let's start with the fact that they even speak different languages, and accordingly they will not understand each other immediately, as is the case in our near abroad.
Their rhythm of life is also different. If you have ever been to Greece, you simply could not help but notice the behavior of taxi drivers on the road. There are simply no traffic rules for them, and the Cypriots, unlike them, live by the rules and the law. They even drive on the principle of "quieter you go - you will continue."
The atmosphere in the cities of Cyprus
If you find yourself in any Cypriot city for the first time, you can be surprised at the measured life of the island. Many Russian tourists have the feeling that Cyprus is really in no hurry, just like its residents resting on the benches.
The locals are having a leisurely conversation
To tourists, regardless of their nationality, Cypriots have a cordial attitude. Everyone is well aware that guests are the main source of income for the island, so no one has a negative attitude towards them, however, and deliberate politeness too.
Any holiday in Cyprus is an event. Tourists will definitely be dragged into the thick of the celebrations, they will be seated in the best place at the table, and they will be treated “like their own”. During the holidays, the Cypriot cities themselves are transformed beyond recognition - garlands hang around, loud music plays from the windows of houses, and people have fun on the streets from morning until late at night.
With crime in Cyprus, everything is also relatively clear: 8 out of 10 of all crimes tourists do. According to local news reports, most often negligent guests are caught on petty hooliganism, theft and vandalism, that is, on what a decent Cypriot would never do.
Cypriots are very friendly people
Cypriot traditions
The main and most memorable Cypriot tradition is love for music. Moreover, it is not popular European and American performers that are held in high esteem here, but local artists who may well play only folk tunes.
Cult national instrument - bouzouki- here it is akin to our balalaika. It can be seen in the home of every Cypriot, and it doesn't matter if he plays it or not - an instrument related to the mandolin has become one of the official symbols of Cyprus. Bouzouki masters are valued all over the world, and musicians from all over the planet come to the island for the sake of one instrument.
The Cypriot mentality is not revealed to the first comer. But they do this not because of distrust, but because of natural shyness - even room service in hotels tries to disturb guests only in case of urgent need.
If the Cypriot spoke to you - keep up the conversation. After that, perhaps you will have one more friend, because after two hours of conversation you will definitely be invited to dinner, the refusal of which will be perceived as a personal insult.
Speaking of conversations, most Cypriots speaks fluent foreign languages. They speak English best of all, although in Russian a few phrases can be heard here even among neighbors cursing in the yard.
It is not worth flying to Cyprus in winter - the swimming season has long ended, and most residents flies to tropical countries. Cypriots cannot live without the hot sun and warm sea.
The standard of living in Cyprus
It cannot be said about the inhabitants of Cyprus that they live in poverty. The average income in the country per year is about 13 thousand euros per inhabitant, which is absolutely not bad. Here you will not meet people in need or beggars - they simply do not exist here. Each resident has either his own business or is engaged in agriculture.
In the event of a disaster, the government of Cyprus has provided special benefits and subsidies that ensure living at a normal level, so the citizens of this country are not threatened with impoverishment. Many residents have their own house and at least one car per family. Their standard of living can be compared with the British. The life expectancy of local residents is 78 years for men and 81 years for women.
National composition of Cyprus
The inhabitants of both parts of Cyprus painfully endure the division of the island, and the fact that those nationalities that previously peacefully existed on the same territory are now forced to migrate: Turkish Cypriots to the northern part, and Greek Cypriots to the south. Consequently, people living together on the same territory were forced to disperse, dividing the island into two parts.
Open hostility among the Cypriots is observed only towards the Pontians- Greek migrants registered in Bulgaria and in the south of the post-Soviet space. It is believed that they betrayed their homeland in the most terrible years. In some areas the Greek Cypriots hate them more than the Turks.
The number of persons of Turkish nationality at the moment began to grow. Local authorities began to actively populate Northern Cyprus with Turks and provide various benefits for them and newly arrived citizens from the continent and Turkey.
Not so long ago, it was decided to dismantle part of the wall that divided Cyprus, and at the moment Northern Cyprus has been re-opened to tourists. One can only hope that Cyprus will again become, as before, a single state.
In Cyprus you can find people of various nationalities
Languages of Cyprus
The official language of Cyprus is the Cypriot dialect of the Greek language. In addition to the national language, Turkish is also present here. Almost 90% of the population speaks English, which is practically the second state language.
For Russians, the fact that our native language, Russian, is becoming more and more common, and not because many tourists from Russia come here, but because many emigrants from the USSR live here.
The Russian language is also quite common here.
Religion in Cyprus
77% of the inhabitants of the island are Orthodox believers. This religion appeared on the island 2 thousand years ago.
For historians of the Christian religion, Cyprus was one of the remarkable places on the map, since it was here that a Christian state was founded - the first in history. It is believed that Helena, who brought a part of the Lord's cross to this land and founded the first Christian monastery, was the first to visit this island.
Moreover, several of these ancient monasteries still exist in Cyprus, and a huge number of pilgrims from all over the world come there. Residents living in the northern part of Cyprus are mostly Muslim.
Orthodox church in Cyprus
Population
After the “separation”, the vast majority of Greek Cypriots live in the south, while Turkish Cypriots and colonists live in the north. The total population is about 850 thousand people, of which 160 thousand are Turks. There are also 17 thousand British, 4 thousand Armenians. After the 1974 war, about 180,000 Greek Cypriots fled or were forcibly resettled south. About 42,000 Turks moved north. And only in the city of Pyla, Larnaca district, under a UN-appointed administration, both groups of the population live.
Until 1974, Turks and Greeks lived next to each other, but their life together was always difficult. The Turks landed on the island in 1570, did not assimilate with the indigenous population and remained faithful to Islam and Anatolian traditions. Modern Turks are hospitable and friendly, but slowness differs sharply from Greek Cypriots with their light temperament. By religion, the Greeks are Orthodox, the Turks are Sunni Muslims.
Cypriots of Greek origin have retained the Greek way of life, language and religion, as well as a way of life. Here, women still play an important role in the family. It is customary in all walks of life for the daughter-bride to own the house. In the cities, however, old customs are now dying out. Among Turkish Cypriots, women are given a secondary role.
There are practically no beggars in Cyprus. Any, even an impoverished citizen, is provided with state support, which is quite enough to live on. The standard of living in Cyprus can only be compared with the UK. Suffice it to say that almost any Cypriot can afford to go to absolutely any restaurant and eat their fill there. In the same restaurant, bar or cafe, you can meet both the general manager of the hotel and a simple cook or builder.
Cyprus is a country with an agricultural way of life. Almost all city dwellers were born in villages and then moved to cities. Even the current billionaires, such as the owner of the Louis company (diners are located in many airports around the world, including Sheremetyevo 2), and many others, were born and raised in the countryside.
Religions in Cyprus
In Cyprus, Christians make up about 78% of the Cypriot population. Most of the Greek Cypriots, and thus most of the island's population, are members of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, while the majority of Turkish Cypriots are Muslims. Cyprus is considered one of the most religious countries in Europe. In addition to the Muslim and Orthodox communities, there are also a small number of Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, Maronite and Armenian communities on the island.
The island of Cyprus is divided among themselves mainly by the inhabitants of two countries - Greece and Turkey. Also among the population there are descendants of Armenians, British, Syrians and many other nationalities. Therefore, tourists who decide to visit this Mediterranean region and are seriously interested in what faith is in priority in Cyprus should know that four types of world religions peacefully coexist here: Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Hinduism. Due to the fact that throughout its history the island has experienced the cultural influence of various peoples, complete freedom of religion has taken root here.
More than two thousand years ago, the Greeks brought to Cyprus its main religion - Orthodoxy. According to historical facts, it was here that the very first Christian state was created, so the Cypriots can be safely considered the first representatives of this faith. The biblical story tells that after the resurrection, Saint Lazarus arrived here and lived here for thirty whole years. Now the largest part of the inhabitants of the lands of Cyprus (about 78%) are Greeks, they profess the Christian faith, and this is the official status of the Greek Church. Interestingly, all representatives of the main branches of Christianity coexist safely in these parts: Orthodox believers, Catholics and Protestants. The diocese of the Orthodox Church has more than five hundred churches and about a dozen monasteries. The Holy Synod includes its head, the bishops of the cities of Paphos, Morphou, Larnaca, Kyrenia and Limassol. Cyprus even published a series of books in Russian, which is dedicated to the Orthodox culture of the Mediterranean island. There are not so many Catholics here, only 3% of all residents, that is, about thirty thousand people. They are mostly descendants of immigrants from Lebanon, but there are also followers of the Roman Catholic Church. More rare among Christians here will be those who identify themselves as Protestants.
And what is the main faith in the northern, Turkish territories in Cyprus? Most of the Christian churches in this part of the island are in a deplorable state, since these lands belong to the representatives of the Muslim religion. Some of the ancient Catholic and Orthodox churches have been converted into museums, and some have been converted into mosques. This state of affairs dates back to the time of the capture of these territories by the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. Then a small part of the Greeks who inhabited the island converted to Islam, and from the 17th century, the main part of the supporters of Islam were already immigrants from the mainland of Turkey. Turkish Cypriots mainly belong to the Sunni sect, and in general, Muslims make up almost a fifth of the entire population of Cyprus, that is, about 20% of the inhabitants.
There are not even one percent of representatives of Judaism here: the total number of Jews does not exceed two thousand people. The only functioning synagogue with a bathing mikvah is located in Larnaca. And about the same number of Cypriots profess Hinduism. A little over a couple of thousand people live here from India and their descendants, which also makes up less than one percent of all Cypriots.
The vast majority of the population of Cyprus professes Christian beliefs, the rest is Islam. In the course of historical development, various directions of Christianity have spread on the island, which is represented here primarily by the Orthodox Church, as well as the Armenian Apostolic, Catholic and Maronite churches.
The church is headed by an archbishop and is divided into three bishoprics and an area directly subordinate to the archbishop. In addition to the numerous temples found in almost every village, the church has 11 monasteries in Cyprus, which own the largest and most fertile lands of the island, which have year-round artificial irrigation, and other large property. The Cypriot Orthodox Church plays an important role in the political and economic areas of Cyprus.
The 1960 Constitution (Article 19) states that everyone has the right to freedom of speech, conscience and religion. All religions are equal before the law and no legislative, executive or administrative act of the Republic may discriminate against any religious institution or religious organization. Every person has the right to freedom of religion, he can study his religion individually or collectively. The only effective restrictions on such freedom are defined in the constitution of the Republic and control the security of the Republic and its citizens. All these rulings indicate that there is no religion recognized as official on the island. They also guarantee the protection of the rights of the three religious groups that make up the minority of the population (Catholics, Armenians and Maronites).
Cyprus has an extremely high level of religious freedom. While the majority of Greek Cypriots are Greek Orthodox Christians, there are other denominations on the island, including Armenian, Maronite and Roman Catholics. The Turkish Cypriot community is predominantly Muslim.
The majority of the population of the Republic of Cyprus professes Orthodox Christianity. At present, the Cypriot Orthodox Church is, according to the 8th canon of the III Ecumenical Council of 431, autocephalous (i.e., administratively independent) and occupies the 10th place among other Orthodox churches.
One of the reasons for the strong influence of the Cypriot Church on society may be the following historical fact: in the 9th century. Cyprus was the only country that did not participate in the struggle of the iconoclasts. It was here that all the persecuted Byzantine believers found refuge; Numerous churches were built during that period.
The source of the wealth of the church in Cyprus, as in other countries, is property received by will and as gifts from wealthy people. In addition, from the time of the Ottoman Empire, taxes collected could be directly transferred to the church. To date, the church owns considerable wealth, including industrial and commercial; it also owns some objects of tourist importance.
The Cypriot Church wields considerable power. After achieving independence, the head of the Cypriot state became Archbishop Makarios III - a prominent figure in the church, who has long occupied one of the first places on the political scene. To this day, Cyprus is one of the few countries in which the church can express its opinion on the laws, and the government listens to it.
After the Orthodox, the Catholic Church is one of the largest Christian denominations in Cyprus. It has existed since 1099. It is headed by a general vicar, subordinate to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Palestine and Cyprus. The Cypriot Catholic Church unites believers of four rites - Latin, Armenian Catholics. Maronites and Greek Catholics.
Muslims appeared in Cyprus in the 7th century; and the carriers of the official religion have been here since 1571, from the moment the Turks captured Cyprus. Currently, Islam is practiced by about 19% of the population of the island. The Muslim Turks are led by the Mufti of Cyprus.
Almost all the Turks who lived in Cyprus were followers of Islam, but, unlike the most numerous Muslim communities, "TRNC" (Republic of Northern Cyprus) is a secular state. This is defined in the first article of the constitution adopted in 1985.
The state religion is not officially defined, therefore the Turks living in Cyprus are free to choose their religion. Religious leaders were not powerful enough in politics, so the study of religion was not compulsory in schools. The Greeks living in "TRNC" were also free to practice their Orthodox faith. The tiny Maronite denomination had its own Maronite Christian Church. In addition, there were Anglican and Roman Catholic churches.
The position of Islam and Islamic institutions in the Turkish society of Cyprus was quite different from that of the Greek Orthodox Church among the Greeks of Cyprus. At that time, there was no influential figure from Islam with real political power. Islam played virtually no role in Turkish nationalism.
A significant figure in this direction was Atatark (Atatark). This man was known for his atheism. In many ways, he was the exact opposite of Archbishop Makaraios III, a religious and political leader. Atatürk (Atatyk) defined the state as secular. This doctrine is still adhered to today. Although Atatürk (Atatyk) had no jurisdiction in Cyprus, the Turks accepted most of his programs voluntarily and practically without amendment.
The Turks of Cyprus were among the first to accept the Atatürk (Atatyk) ban on the use of Arabic in religious rites and the reading of the Koran in Turkish translation.
Since the death of Atatürk (Atatyk), the Turks of Cyprus have generally followed the religious customs of Turkey. Despite this, Turkey and "TRNC" remained relatively secular states. The Turks of Cyprus, like most Turkish subjects, are followers of Sunni Islam. There were groups and organizations within "TRNC" opposed to traditional Turkish Cypriot atheism and religious tolerance.
Given the secular traditions of the Turks of Cyprus, these and other like-minded groups set themselves the task of achieving their religious goals.
This fact, and the access of Islamic groups to the financial resources of oil production, will ensure that their presence will continue to be felt in TRNC.