Bellapais (abbey)

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The ruins of the Bellapais Abbey (Belapais) is a Gothic monastery ruin in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus . It stands next to the small town of Beylerbeyi / Bellapais on a rocky outcrop of the Kyrenia Mountains about 6 km southeast of the town of Kyrenia / Girne. Earlier names were "Abbey de la Paix - Abbey of Peace", "Bellapaix - Beautiful Peace", because of the white habits of the Premonstratensians also "White Abbey". Bellapais is described as one of the most beautiful monastery ruins in the Mediterranean.

Bellapais monastery ruins, Northern Cyprus, with a view of the Pentadactylos Mountains

history

The coat of arms of the Lusignan family combines the coats of arms of the kings of Cyprus (lions) and those of Jerusalem (crosses), on the refectory

The abbey was around 1198 of from Jerusalem before Saladin fled Augustinian canons founded. King Hugo I (1195–1218) of the House of Lusignan donated land to the monastery . The abbey adopted the customs of the Premonstratensian choirs after 1206 , and the monastery church was built under King Hugo III during this period . (1267-1284). The remaining buildings were built in the 14th century. The abbot was given some rights , such as the infiltration , the wearing of the bishop's miter at masses or the right to carry sword and golden spurs outside the monastery. The monastery subsequently acquired great wealth, but in the 16th century there was a general decline in monastic discipline. The sanctions introduced against this activity failed to materialize due to the Ottoman invasion and the expulsion of the Latin Christians. In 1571 the Premonstratensian Abbey ended, the buildings fell to the Orthodox Church and were partly used as a quarry for the buildings in the area, but the church and refectory in particular were preserved. A forest fire in 1995 destroyed the trees in the area, which have only grown back slowly since then. The facility is secured, well-maintained and generally accessible for an entrance fee.

Floor plan of the ruins of the Bellapais Monastery, Northern Cyprus

Description of the monastery ruins

Monastery church

As usual in the Middle Ages , the monastery buildings were built at right angles to each other. The monastery is entered from the west side. A square courtyard led to the narthex of the monastery church with remains of frescoes from the 15th century; there are niches for graves in the walls. The three-bay church with a wide central nave and two narrow side aisles is located in the south of the monastery complex and faces east . It was consecrated to "Mary of the White Robe". In addition to the square chancel is the small sacristy . After the conquest of Cyprus by the Ottomans, the church was handed over to the Cypriot Orthodox Church and was used for services until the 20th century; its interior furnishings date from this period. There used to be a staircase from the church to the dormitory ( Dormitory led) of the canons to their church attendance to enable even at night.

  • Monastery church from the southwest

  • Remnants of frescoes at the entrance

  • Narthex

  • Interior of the church

  • Iconostasis

Cloister

To the north of the church, the cloister connects with the Kreuzhof. This is a striking photo motif with the four large cypress trees . The cloister has high Gothic pointed arches and remains of beautiful flamboyant tracery, which point to the time of origin in the late Gothic period of the 14th century.

  • Gothic pointed arches

  • Kreuzhof

  • Cloister

  • Roman stone sarcophagus with decorations

Chapter house and common room

To the east of the complex, adjacent to the cloister, are the chapter house and an originally barrel-vaulted common room , possibly also used as a writing room ( scriptorium ). Above these rooms was the dormitory of the religious (dormitory).

The chapter house , the place of the daily meeting chaired by the abbot , was adorned with splendid relief decorations , as indicated by the consoles on which the ribbed vault weighed.

  • Pillar in the ruins of the chapter house

  • Common room

  • Dormitory from the east

  • Odysseus with sirens

refectory

The refectory is used as a concert hall

The refectory (dining room) with a completely raised ribbed vault borders the cloister in the north. With the dimensions of 30 × 11 × 11.5 meters, it was one of the largest refectories of the time. A Roman sarcophagus decorated with genii and masks in front of the entrance was used as a water container. The coat of arms of the Lusignans above the portal shows them as kings of Jerusalem and Cyprus. From a small inflated, rich with tracery ornate pulpit readings were held during the meal. Through six windows in the north, the view extends to the nearby coastal town of Girne / Keryneia. There was a storage room under the refectory.

Farm buildings

Only sparse remains of the farm buildings in the west of the complex have survived.

tourism

The Bellapais monastery ruins are open to tourists as an open-air museum ( restaurant and café ). Opening times in summer 8.30 a.m. to 6 p.m., otherwise until 5 p.m.

Twice a year (in spring and autumn) there is a music festival (International Bellapais Music Festival) in Bellapais , where works of classical music (mostly chamber music ) are performed in the former refectory.

literature

The English writer Lawrence Durrell lived in Bellapais for some time in the 1950s. In his work Bittere Limonen (1957) he describes the beauty of the monastery complex as “one of the most enchanting Gothic remnants of the Levant” .

Bibliography

Web links

Commons : Bellapais Monastery  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikivoyage: Bellapais  Travel Guide

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Baedeker, 10th edition, p. 330.
  2. ↑ Piller, p. 224.
  3. ↑ .. :: Bellapais Music Festival :: .. Retrieved August 17, 2018 .

Coordinates: 35 ° 18 ′ 26.7 ″  N , 33 ° 21 ′ 19.3 ″  E