Herakleidios

Herakleidios ( ancient Greek Ηρακλειδιος , also Eraklidios, Heraklidios, Heraklidos, Heraklidiou, Iraklidios, Irakleidios) was the first bishop of Tamassos in Cyprus in the 1st century .

Life

In early Christian writings from the 5th to 7th centuries it is handed down that Eraklidis (Herakleidios was called before his baptism) was the son of a pagan priest. He had shown the apostles Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary trip (45 - 53 AD) in Cyprus the way from Salamis to Paphos and also led them to Tamassos, an important city-kingdom at the time due to the copper mining industry. Paul and Barnabas baptized Herakleidus and later ordained him - as one of the first in Cyprus - as Bishop of Tamassos. In a 7th century treatise on Saint Auxibius , Herakleidios is referred to as Archbishop of Cyprus, who appointed the already ordained Auxibius as Bishop of Soli and Epapfras and Tychikos , two disciples of Paul, as bishops of Paphos and Neapolis ( Limassol ) have. Herakleidos looked after the Christian community of Tamassos together with Mnason , mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles of Luke ( Acts 21,16  EU ), who became the successor in the episcopate of Tamassos. Several miracles are mentioned in the Vita of St. Herakleidios, including the raising of the pagan Trofimi, who fell dead from grief over the death of her son. Herakleidios died in Tamassos at the age of 60 and was buried in the cave where he previously lived and preached the gospel of Jesus Christ . Some early Christian writings tell of the martyrdom of St. Herakleidios.

Adoration

Herakleidios is venerated as a saint . His feast day is September 17th. According to the liturgical tradition and iconography, Herakleidios is venerated as a martyr. According to the early Christian tradition, a martyrion was built on the tomb of the martyr , which is part of the later monastery of Agios Herakleidios. The skull and a bone, presumably one of the arms of St. Heracleidios, are kept and venerated as relics in the main church of the monastery .

Agios Herakleidios Monastery

The monastery of Agios Herakleidios, dedicated to Saint Herakleidios, was founded with a basilica around 400, destroyed several times and renewed in its present form in 1773. It is located in what is now Politiko, where ruins of the ancient city of Tamassos are located, southwest of Nicosia / Lefkosia. The monastery complex, which has been preserved to this day, includes the two-winged main church ( Katholikon ), the cave (with the entrance to the east of the main church), where the grave of St. Herakleidios is, and the mausoleum above the cave. The main church consists of the Church of St. Herakleidios (late 15th - early 16th centuries) and the Chapel of the Holy Trinity . In the south of the main church there is a mosaic whose origin is dated to the beginnings of the monastery in the 4th century (332 - 342). In the Martyrion of the main church there is a marble coffin attributed to Saint Heracleidios and one made of stone, that of Saint Mnason. The monastery was initially intended for monks. Works of icon painting of the monks of the monastery decorate the main church with wall paintings and portable icons. From 1821 to 1962 the monastery was abandoned and devastated. Since July 22, 1962, around 40 nuns have been living in the monastery in a coinobitic community. In addition to communal and individual prayer , contemplation, silence, contemplation , intellectual and spiritual study, her work includes handicrafts such as gold embroidery, icon painting and the preparation of traditional dishes.

Web links

• Cyprus Island - Nicosia
• Mosaic of St. Herakleidus at the entrance to the monastery
• Saint Heraclidius Monastery. Church. coordinates: (35.025600 °, 33.243610 °)

literature

• Holy Monastery of Saint Eraklidios (Ed.): The Holy Monastery of Saint Eraklidios . Nicosia, Cyprus 2016, ISBN 978-9963-736-65-2 (56 pages).
• Rainer Eisenschmid: Moni Agiou Irakleidiou . In: Cyprus . 10th edition. Karl Baedeker, Ostfildern 2013, ISBN 978-3-8297-1489-1 , p. 313-314 .
• Branka Cuca et al .: Integration of innovative surveying technologies for purposes of 3D documentation and valorisation of St. Herakleidios Monostrery in Cyprus . In: Marinos Ioannides et al. (Ed.): Digital Heritage: Progress in Cultural Heritage. Documentation, Preservation, and Protection. 5th International Conference, EuroMed 2014, Limassol, Cyprus, November 3-8, 2014, Proceedings . Springer International Publishing, Cham et al. 2014, ISBN 978-3-319-13694-3 , p. 387-395 .