St. John Theologian's Cathedral in Nicosia

About

The Cathedral of St. John the Theologian (Greek: Καθεδρικός Ναός Αγίου Ιωάννη) is the main church of the Church of Cyprus. It is located in Nicosia, the capital city of Cyprus.

The church was built in the fourteenth century at the site of Benedictine Abbey of St. John the Theologian that had been founded by the House of Lusignan. First reference about the church appears in historical sources starting from the eleventh century.

Due to frequent Mamluk invasions, Benedictines left the island in 1426, and the monastery was passed over to the Orthodox. However, the monastery retained its dedication to St. John the Theologian.

Archbishop Nikiphoros reconstructed the church in the seventeenth century. He used part of the remaining basement for the reconstruction. A marble slab was installed above the western entrance to the church.

The slab has a date, 30 April 1662, indicating when reconstruction of the church was started. Although the precise date of the end of reconstruction is unclear but it is assumed that reconstruction was finished between 1662 and 1674. After the reconstruction, the church became the residence of the Archbishop of Cyprus in 1720.

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