Archeparchy of Cyprus
| Archeparchy of Cyprus | |
 |
|
| Basic data | |
|---|---|
| Rite church | Maronite Church |
| Country | Republic of Cyprus |
| Diocesan bishop | Joseph Soueif |
| Emeritus diocesan bishop | Boutros Gemayel |
| Vicar General | Jean Orphanou |
| founding | 1357 |
| surface | 9,351 km² |
| Parishes | 11 ( 12/31/2007 / AP2008 ) |
| Residents | 785,000 (December 31, 2007 / AP2008 ) |
| Catholics | 10,000 ( 12/31/2007 / AP2008 ) |
| proportion of | 1.3% |
| Diocesan priest | 5 ( 12/31/2007 / AP2008 ) |
| Religious priest | 2 (December 31, 2007 / AP2008 ) |
| Catholics per priest | 1,429 |
| Friars | 5 ( 12/31/2007 / AP2008 ) |
| Religious sisters | 3 ( 12/31/2007 / AP2008 ) |
| rite | West Syrian Rite |
| cathedral | Our Lady of Grace Cathedral |
| address | The Maronite Church P.O. Box 22249 8 Ayios Maronas str. Nicosia Cyprus |
| Website | http://www.maronitearcheparchy.org.cy |
The Archeparchy of Cyprus ( Latin : Cyprensis Maronitarum ) is an eparchy of the Maronite Church founded in 1357 with its seat in Nicosia .
history
Christians of the Maronite Church from Syria , the Holy Land and Lebanon settled in Cyprus between the eighth and twelfth centuries . The largest immigration then followed in the years 1224, 1570, 1596, 1776 and 1878. Of the more than 100 Maronite towns and communities, the towns of Kormakitis , Karpasia , Asomatos and Agia Marina remained after the persecutions and expulsions . The first bishop of the Maronite Church was Bishop Hananya , who took office around 1316 during the reign of the Lusignans in Cyprus. The Venetian rulers in Cyprus, from 1489 to 1571, left a battered island. The Maronites fell victim to this system of rule and were simultaneously harassed by the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians. In 1514 the Maronite Patriarch turned to Pope Leo X and complained about the machinations and the confiscation of Maronite churches by the Latin Bishop of Nicosia. With the rule of the Ottomans from 1571 to 1878, the situation of the Maronite Christians visibly deteriorated. They were driven from their localities, the churches were destroyed and the bishop had to leave his bishopric . With the death of Bishop Luc , a Cypriot, in 1673, no Maronite bishop resided in Cyprus. The bishops of Cyprus only visited the island sporadically, and the Maronite believers who remained were looked after by Franciscans (OFM) . In 1735, the Superior General of the Order of the Lebanese Maronites (OML) sent two monks to Cyprus; they should build a school for the Maronite community, which was opened in 1763. In 1763 the Synod of the Maronite Bishops decided that the seat of the Bishop of Cyprus should initially remain in Lebanon.
Today there are eleven parishes in Cyprus, these are in Nicosia (also the bishopric), Kormakitis, Asomatos, Ayia Marina, Karpasha, Anthoupolis, Kotsiatis, Limassol, Polemidia, Larnarca, Paphos.
Some of the Maronites of Cyprus still speak Cypriot Arabic , a dialect of Arabic .
Kormakitis - St. George's Church
Kormakitis - Old St. George's Church
Bishops of the Eparchy
- Youssef, until 1588
- Youhanna, 1588 to 1596
- Moise Anaisi of Akura, 1598 to 1614
- Girgis Maroun al Hidnani, 1614 to 1634
- Sarkis Al Jamri (or Elias al Hidnani), 1662 to 1668
- Stefan Douayhy , 1668 to 1670
- Boutros Doumit Makhlouf, from 1674
- Youssef, from 1687
- Toubia el Khazen , 1756 to 1766
- Philibos Gemayel II , until 1795
- ...
- Giuseppe Giagia , from 1843
- Giuseppe Zogbi , 1883 to 1892
- Nematalla Seluan , 1892 to 1910
- Paolo Auad , 1911 to 1941
- François Ayoub , 1942 to 1954 (later Archbishop of Aleppo)
- Elie Farah , 1954 to 1986
- Joseph Mohsen Béchara , 1986 to 1988 (later Archbishop of Antelien)
- Boutros Gemayel , 1988 to 2008
- Joseph Soueif , since 2008
Web links
- Guita G. Hourani: A Reading in the History of the Maronites of Cyprus From the Eighth Century to the Beginning of British Rule. (The author is Chairwoman of the Maronite Research Institute; PDF; 510 kB)
- Entry on Archeparchy of Cyprus on catholic-hierarchy.org