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Writer's pictureJason Borges

Visiting Biblical Sites in Cyprus

The Mediterranean island of Cyprus was the first destination on Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey (Acts 13). They landed in Barnabas’ hometown of Salamis, the main port city on the east coast. After crossing the island, they departed from Paphos, the Roman-era capital on the west coast. This post details my three-day visit to the historical sites of Cyprus.

 

Salamis

 

Unlike Paul and Barnabas, I traveled by plane and car. Because I was coming from Turkey, I flew into northern Cyprus. At Ercan airport, I rented a car and drove one hour toward Salamis. (Both parts of the island drive on the left side, as the island was a British territory in the early 1900s.)

 

I first stopped at the St. Barnabas Monastery. The site no longer functions as a monastic complex. Its central church is an “icon museum” with about 100 icons from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Opposite the parking lot is the traditional burial chapel of Barnabas, built over a grotto.


There are two other historical sites to visit near the St. Barnabas Monastery: Enkomi (a Bronze Age settlement) and Royal tombs (burial chambers of Iron Age elites). Because of time, I only drove past them.

 

Salamis is a large archaeological site, most of which is buried in sand and brush. Fortunately, the most impressive ruins are near the entrance. Most notable is the bath complex, one of the best preserved in the Roman world, with extant mosaics, frescos, statues, inscriptions, and even toilets. Nearby is the reconstructed theater. Beyond that is the ancient road and limited remains.


A long path loops around the entire site and takes about two hours to walk. Of all the various remains beyond the main area, the most impressive is the Church of St. Epiphanius. The Byzantine basilica was built by the bishop of Salamis in the late 300s. He was buried in the southeast corner of the nave, making the church a popular pilgrimage destination into the medieval period. Several signs provide a good explanation of the basilica church.


Just beyond the church is a Byzantine cistern and a large agora (a large depression with few remains). The walk from the theater to the agora takes 20-30 minutes and is recommended.

 

Salamis was occupied from the Hellenistic period through the Byzantine period. The medieval city was relocated several kilometers south, in the heart of the modern city of Famagusta/Gazimağusa.

 

To Southern Cyprus

 

Online information about crossing the border was unclear to me. Here’s what I learned from my experience. I could have driven a rental car from one side to the other. However, it would not have been insured on the other side, so I would have been 100% responsible if anything happened. Therefore, I returned my rental car at Ercan, got a ride to Nicosia, and walked across the border at Ledra Palace Checkpoint (the only border crossing that can be traveled on foot). It was a simple ten-minute walk through the UN-controlled buffer zone. As a US citizen, I did not need a visa.

 

On the Greek side of the Ledra checkpoint is the Cyprus History Museum, the island’s main archaeology museum. It was free to enter and took about one hour to view. The museum is organized chronologically, from the Neolithic period through the Roman/Byzantine period. The final room contained a wonderful pottery display based on various themes, including theater masks.


I rented a car from Petsas. This was a good experience, though, with all the travel, it took an hour to get out of Nicosia. That evening, I drove 2.5 hours to Paphos and stayed at the Nereus Hotel.

 

Paphos

 

I spent the next day around Paphos. First, I spent two hours walking the Archaeological Site of Nea Paphos, the main section of Roman-era Paphos. It had a few elite residences with impressive mosaics. The so-called Villa of Theseus was the Roman governor’s palace. Most probably, Paul met with Sergius Paulus in the apsidal room on the south side of the open courtyard. 


You can walk northward toward the Paphos Lighthouse. Below it are the odeon, agora, and Asklepion. From here, I walked directly east to exit the site and visit Agia Kyriaki Chrysopolitissa, the main church of Byzantine Paphos. It has an intriguing architectural history. The picture below shows its four different apses.


Next, I drove 20 minutes south to the Archaeological Site of Palaepaphos in the village of Kouklia. This was the original site of Paphos until the Hellenistic era. Its ancient sanctuary to Aphrodite remained popular even in Roman times. The Frankish medieval palace houses the best artifacts. The most notable were an inscribed loyalty pledge from the people of Paphos to Emperor Claudius (one of only six surviving) and the aniconic stone that probably functioned as the cult statue in the sanctuary. A 10-minute running video provides a helpful overview of the site.


My third stop was the Monastery of St. Neophytos the Recluse. The 11th-century monk carved his own cell into the hillside. After his followers carved a chapel around the cell, more visitors came. Therefore, Neophytos carved a second cell (which he called “The New Zion”) directly above the church nave. The cave church still has its original 11th-century and 15th-century frescos. Most remarkably, St. Neophytos’ autobiography and several other theological works remain, so we know a lot about the monastery’s foundational period. The publication of the excavation is available at JSTOR: “The Hermitage of St. Neophytos and Its Wall Paintings” by Cyril Mango and Ernest J. W. Hawkins, Dumbarton Oaks Papers (1966), pp. 119-206.


The monastery remains active today. The modern facility contains about 40 monk rooms built around a central basilica and a museum with historical artifacts. To stay at the monastery for an evening, you can contact the monks through the website. Most people visit during the day for an hour or two. Near the parking lot is a pleasant café/coffee shop with affordable prices, so I planned my day to have lunch there.

 

My final stop was the Tombs of the Kings back in Paphos. The large necropolis features underground, rock-cut tombs from the Iron and Hellenistic ages (8–3 centuries BCE). The larger tombs imitate the architecture of peristyle homes with an open courtyard. Like Neapaphos, this is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has a helpful mobile app. Perhaps because my historical interests are ancient Rome and early Christianity, I found this to be the least interesting stop of my day. The site is near the sea, so I enjoyed the sunset over the Mediterranean before departing.

 

The Southern Coast

 

Several cities line the southern coast of Cyprus. They link Salamis and Paphos, both by land and by sea.

 

Kourion was a Hellenistic and Roman city located on a bluff over the sea. Notable remains include second-century and fourth-century bath complexes (the later reconstructed by a Christian), a large basilica church with a bishop’s palace and baptismal chapel, and a villa with gladiator reliefs.


The Sanctuary of Apollo was a prominent and ancient religious shrine. Built along the main Roman road, the complex accommodated many ancient pilgrims. A series of five dining halls (mislabeled as dormitories) allowed worshippers to celebrate a ritual meal, eating their sacrificed meat in the god’s presence (picture below). The original round altar made from uncut stones in the 12th century BCE remains next to the restored Roman temple (second-century AD). Just east of the sanctuary along the road is a rare Hellenistic stadium.


The archaeology museum for Kourion is a small house in the middle of Episkopi, the nearby town. One display features the skeletons of a young family—parents in their early 20s with their 18-month-old infant. They huddled together when an earthquake struck, and they died in that position when their house collapsed on them.

 

Located on the eastern part of modern Limassol, Amathous was a coastal city built around a harbor. The natural inner harbor has silted in, and the artificial outer harbor is in ruins in the water. The lower site features a basic agora with no signage. If you climb the acropolis, the sea views are more impressive than the ruined Aphrodite Temple and Byzantine Church, which had no signage.


I did not have time to visit Kition/Kittim, a site in Lacarna mentioned in the OT (Num 24:24; Dan 11:30; Jer 2:10; Ezek 27:6).

 

Roman Roads in Cyprus

 

In the first century, the main road across Cyprus ran along the southern coast. I had read and assumed that Paul and Barnabas traveled westward along the Roman road. After visiting several port cities along the southern coast and experiencing strong easterly winds, I wondered if sailing would have been preferable. However, Acts 13:6 says they “went through the entire island until Paphos.” This suggests they traveled by foot. Two resources explain the roads and routes of ancient Cyprus: David W.J. Gill, “Paul’s Travels through Cyprus (Acts 13:4-12),” TynBul (1995) and Tonnes Becker-Nielson, The Roads of Ancient Cyprus (2004).

 

Modern Cyprus

 

Modern Cyprus has a complex history. Since 1974, the island, along with the capital city (Nicosia/Lefkoşa), has been divided between the Greek south (the EU country of Cyprus) and the Turkish north (the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus). Two books helped me understand the political situation. The Cyprus Problem: What Everyone Needs to Know (2011) is a short, balanced overview by a UN diplomat, while The Cyprus Conspiracy: America, Espionage and the Turkish Invasion (2001) argues that America and Britain divided the island for their own security interests during the cold war.

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