Orthodox Church Of Cyprus
| Church of Cyprus ( ) | |
|---|---|
| Founder (s) | St. Paul and St. Barnabas |
| Autocephaly / Autonomy declared | 431 |
| Autocephaly / Autonomy recognized | 431 |
| Current primate | Archbishop Chrysostomos II |
| Headquarters | Nicosia, Cyprus |
| Primary territory | Cyprus |
| Territorial extension | without |
| Rite | Byzantine |
| Language (s) liturgical (s) | Greek |
| Musical tradition | Byzantine |
| Calendar | Gregorian / Julian revised |
| Estimated population | 525 000 |
change  | |
The Orthodox Church of Cyprus or simply Church of Cyprus or sometimes Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus is autocephalous jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church since 431. The primate of the Church carries the title of Archbishop of Nova Justina and All Cyprus with residence in Nicosia (incumbent: His Beatitude Chrysostomos II since 5 November 2006 ).
For the first time in history, Archbishop Chrysostomos II visited Rome from 13 to 16 June 2007, where he met Pope Benedict XVI.
Summary |
The Church of Cyprus was founded by St. Paul, first at Salamis (current or Ammokhostos Famagusta) and in Paphos.
Originally, the primate of Cyprus was Archbishop of Salamis , which was then the largest port of the island. The city was destroyed by an earthquake in the early fourth century. When it was rebuilt, he was named in honor of Constantia Constance II. St. Epiphanius of Salamis, and brought the title of archbishop of Constantia.
The Church of Cyprus has depended on the first siege of Antioch then autocephaly was granted by the Council of Ephesus , 3rd ecumenical council in 431 (Canon 8).
Under the Emperor Zeno (474-491) found the tomb of the Lord's disciple Barnabas near Constantia (ancient Salamis). The tomb contained a copy of the Gospel according to St. Matthew. This important discovery has led to the primacy of the Church of Cyprus to receive the honor of the Emperor the right to use the three imperial powers:
- 1. Sign in red ink.
- 2. Wear an imperial scepter instead of a crook episcopal.
- 3. Wearing a red rather than purple mandia.
It was a way to confirm the autocephalous Church of Cyprus and to deter any attempt guardianship.
The present Archbishop of Cyprus still uses the three imperial privileges.
At the time of Arab invasion in the seventh century , the city was again destroyed in 648. The archbishop had to leave the island for the region of the Hellespont under the protection of the Emperor Justinian II. Southwest of the peninsula of Cyzicus (now Erdek, Turkey), he established a new town called "Nova Justiniana (New Justina) in honor of his patron. In 698 the Arabs were driven out of Cyprus and the archbishop was able to regain the island. He retained his title in the name of the city of the Hellespont. He became Archbishop of Nova Justina and All Cyprus.
The Crusaders occupied the island between 1191 and 1571. During this period, the Orthodox hierarchy found itself subject to the authority in Latin. The number of bishops was reduced from fourteen to four.
Organization
The Church of Cyprus includes:
- Archbishop whose archdiocese covers Nicosia and Famagusta
and five cities that are in the order honorific:
- Paphos
- Kition ( Larnaka )
- Kyrenia (in area Turkish Cypriot , folded in Nicosia)
- Limassol
- Morphou (Diocese partly Turkish Cypriot area, diocese folded vrykhou)
Relations with other Churches
The Church is a member of the World Council of Churches and the Council of Churches of the Middle East.
See also
Epiphanius of Cyprus, spiritual discourse, translation, introduction and notes by Archimandrite piphanios Efthyvoulou, Limassol, CSO, 1999 (in French).
Related articles
External Links
Bibliography
- Alban Doudelet, The Greek Orthodox, Brepols (col. Son of Abraham), Turnhout , 1996 ( ISBN 2503504671 )
| Autocephalous churches | |
| Autonomous Churches | |
| Independent churches noncanonical | |
| Note | |
| See also: two councils of churches - churches of three councils - the Eastern Catholic Churches | |
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