C Y P R U S IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF SAINT PAUL IN PAFOS ¢

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PROJECT PART-FUNDED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION

Pafos Chamber of Commerce & Industry Pafos Tourism Committee, P.O.Box 60082, 8100 Pafos, Cyprus

Tel:+357 26818173, Fax:+357 26944602Email:info@visitpafos.org.cy, Web site:www.visitpafos.org.cy CYPRUS TOURISM ORGANISATION

Cyprus was the first country

in the world to have been ruled

by a Christian governor, whose

seat was in Pafos, the capital

of the island in antiquity.

C Y P R U S I S L A N D O F S A I N T S

Cyprus is a sunny island all the year round, an island of myths,of love and of dreams. With a 10,000 year old history, it isa place of great natural beauty and geostrategical importance.

Cyprus has seen civilisations come and go and it was fought over by greathistorical personalities. On this island walked Jesus’ Apostles.

The beautiful Pafos district on the western coast of the island is synonymouswith the mythological goddess of love and beauty. This charming townis one of the most important centres of civilisation of the Mediterranean,with its superb mosaics and many other historical and archaeologicalmonuments of great interest. The whole town is listed in the UNESCO’sWorld Heritage list.

Pafos is one of the most important centres of civilisation of the wholeMediterranean.

House Of Theseus:Mosaics

St.Paul’s Departure point

St.Paul’s Pillar

St.Paul’sEntry Point C

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St.Paul’sEntry Point A

St.Paul’sEntry Point B

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14 B4 District Fisheries Department

27 D3 Post Office-Afternoon Services

33 C3 Agia Solomoni Christian Catacomb

34 C2 Agios Lamprianos Rock-Cut Chamber

35 B3 Agora, Asklipieion

37 C4 Base of Ancient Breakwater

39 E3 Cyprus Handicraft Centre

40 C1 Early Christian Basilica/St.Paul PillarChrysopolitissa (Agia Kyriaki) Church

42 C2 Fabrica (old quarry-caves)

43 B4 Fort of Pafos

44 C3 Frankish Baths

48 B4 “Limeniotissa” Ruins of Early Christian Basilica

52 B3 Base of Ancient Breakwater

54 D4 Pafos Aquarium

56 B4 Ruins of Ancient Harbour Fort & Quay

57 C2 Ruins of Hellenistic Theatre

58 C3 Saranta Kolones Fortress

60 B3 The Mosaics of Pafos : Houses of“Dionysos”, “Theseus” and “Aion”

171 C3 Anglican & Roman Catholic Massesat Chrysopolitissa (Agia Kyriaki) Church

INDEX H I S T O R I C & O T H E R P L A C E S O F I N T E R E S T REFERENCE

# REF NAME # REF NAME # REF NAME

Through routes

One way road

Pedestrian zone

Named Building

Church or Monastery

Ancient Site

Post Office

Castle, Fort

Place of Interest

Municipal Parking Place

P L A C E S O F I N T E R E S T A N D C U LT U R A L S I T E S

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S A I N T P A U L

Follow in his footsteps and visit the places where St. Paul preachedand spread Chris t iani ty .

S T PA U L’ S F I R S T M I S S I O N A R Y J O U R N E Y

A lthough he was not one of Jesus’ close circle of students, Paulbecame an Apostle as a result of his divine calling, thereby taking on the heavy burden of spreading the Gospel. His task

was particularly important for the religion of Love, Christianity. Paul wasfortunate in that he combined three elements essential to the role he wasassigned. First he was a Jew, characterised by a fighting spirit and a streakof stubbornness, secondly he had a Greek education, spirit and soul,and third he was a Roman citizen, with an open passport in a vast empirethat reached the limits of the known world at the time.

In 45 AD the two Apostles Paul and Barnabas, accompanied by Mark,travelled from Antioch to Silesia and from there sailed by ship to Cyprus,arriving at Salamis, the largest port on the island at the time. (Acts 13.5)

In Pafos-Cyprus they managed to convert the Roman Proconsul whoembraced the Christian faith thereby making Cyprus the first country inthe world to be governed by a Christian.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

The church is situated a short distance from the harbour and was

built over the ruins of the largest Early Christian basilica found

in Cyprus. The “pillar” where legend has it St. Paul was tortured

and given “forty bar one lashes” for preaching Christianity, is situated in

the church courtyard, amongst the ruins of an older medieval church and

beneath a terebinth tree.

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THE CHURCH OF AGIA KYRIAKI CHRYSOPOLITISSA

The “pillar” where legend has it St. Paul was whipped is situated in thecourtyard of the Church of Chrysopolitissa.

A R R I V A L I N P A F O S

According to written sources, St. Paul accompanied by Mark theEvangelist, entered Pafos through one of the Town entrances(gates), three of which survive to this day (Acts 13.5), “crossing

the island to Pafos”.

1) The north eastern gate, near and to the east of the theatre of Kato Pafos

2) The northern gate was situated on the hill known as “fabrika”, to the left of the modern road leading to the harbour

3) The north western gate, which is the best preserved, once led tothe town from the side of the sea and is the only place where the entrance bridge has survived above the moat around the walls.

St. Paul, accompanied by Mark the Evangelist entered Pafos through one of the Town entrances (gates).

The house of Theseus is believed to have been the residence of the RomanProconsul Sergius Paulus, who according to tradition converted to Christianity.

St. Paul left by ship from Pafos for Perga in Pamphylia.

A ccording to Evsevius (religious history), St. Paul left by shipfrom Pafos for Perga in Pamphylia (Acts 13.5 “Paul and the others left Pafos and sailed to Perga in Pamphylia”).

S A I N T P A U L ’ S D E P A R T U R E

The House of Dionysos. The House of Theseus and the House of Aionas.These were noblemen’s villas from the 3-5th century AD withmarvellous mosaic floors considered to be the best in the EasternMediterranean. The scenes depicted are mainly from Greek mythologyand are executed to perfection.

T H E H O U S E O F T H E S E U S / M O S A I C S

T he Roman villas situated a stone’s throw from Pafos harbour, were found accidentally and have the most exquisitemosaics depicting scenes from Greek mythology. The house of

Theseus is believed to have been the residence of the Roman ProconsulSergius Paulus, who according to tradition converted to Christianity uponhearing the preachings of St. Paul. It is possible that St Paul visited this area in order to spread the word of God.

The harbour at Kato PafosSituated in the harbour of Kato Pafos, perhaps the most popular partof the town, is the medieval castle. Originally built as a Byzantinefortress in order to protect the harbour, it was later rebuilt by theLusignans in the 13th century but the Venetians pulled it down in1570 because they could not defend it against the Turks, who in turnrebuilt it and fortified it when they occupied the island.

1 The Church of Saints Paul and Barnabas - PafosBuilt recently, it lies in the centre of town. Saints Paul and Barnabasare depicted in several places inside the church. The church is dedicated to St. Paul and attracts many faithful especially during christian feast days.

2 The Church of Agia Paraskevi - GeroskipouBuilt in the 9th century, it is a three-aisled basilica with five domes in the form of a cross. It has the oldest wall paintings found in Cyprus dating to the 9th century. It also has 12th and 15th century wall paintings, excellent examples of Byzantine and post Byzantine art. It is considered to be one of the most important Byzantine churches in Cyprus.

3 The Church of Agios Theodosios - AcheliaThis is a domed church in the shape of a free form cross. The remains of three layers of wall paintings can be seen. St. Paul and St. Peter can be seen in the second layer of paintings dating to the 13th century. They are considered to be among the best examples of 13th century wall paintings in Cyprus.

4 The Church of Panagia Chryseleousa – Emba Built in the late 12th or early 13th century, it is considered to be a Byzantine monument of great value. It is a three-aisled church with two domes and decorated with superb wall paintings from the 13th, 15th and 16th centuries. In the apse is a picture of Christ Pantokrator surrounded by Angels. The wooden carved iconostasis dates to 1747.

5 Agios Neophytos Monastery – Tala The Monastery is built at the bottom of a deep valley about 10 km north of Pafos at a height of about 410 m above sea level. The church of the monastery is a basilica whose dome has Venetian architectural influences. The aisles of the church are separated by two rows of columns, with carved pseudo Corinthian capitals. The apse of the church is decorated with scenes from the Communion of the Apostles, as well as with officiating prelates. The iconostasis is a superb example of the art of woodcarving. A museum within the monastery showcases various ecclesiastical as well as archaeological exhibits.

6 The Encleistra of Agios Neophytos – Tala At about 100 metres to the east of the monastery lies the cave which Agios Neophytos carved out of the hill. All that survives today from the Encleistra are the nave, the church of the Holy Cross, the saint’s cell and the altar. Visitors can admire the marvellous wall paintings such as that of Agios Neophytos praying between the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, those in the bema and those above the saint’s tomb.

7 The Church of Agios Nikolas – Galataria The apse, the eastern wall and part of the western wall of this small arched church are decorated with wall paintings. They are covered with a thick layer of grime which has altered the colours and makes dating difficult. It is possible that both the church and the paintings date from the first half of the 16th century.

8 The Church of the Archangel Michael – Choli This 15th century Byzantine church is a single aisled church with a vaulted roof and a higher nave. The western walls were pulled down in order to join the church with the nave. The wall paintings date from the 15th or 16th century and are in the Byzantine style with few western influences.

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C H U R C H E S A N D M O N A S T E R I E S W I T H W A L L PA I N T I N G S D E P I C T I N G S T. PA U L

I s l and o f s a i n t s , p a i n t ed chu r che s , my th s and m i r a c l e -work ing i con s .