Belfry of St. Lazarus Church Larnaca, Christmas Issue Belfries, Republic of Cyprus

Belfry of St. Lazarus Church Larnaca, Christmas Issue Belfries, Republic of Cyprus

Postage stamps--Cyprus--History

Γραμματόσημα--Κύπρος--Ιστορία

The Church of St. Lazarus, the belfry of which is the subject of this stamp is the most significant came here after his resurrection and was consecrated first bishop by the Apostles who were then here. In 890 A.D. his tomb was discovered and the Byzantine Emperor Leo VI the philosopher ordered that his remains be transferred to Constantinople whence they were stolen by the French and taken to Marseille. The tomb consists of a marble sarcophagus beneath the sanctuary and a short flight of steps leads down to it. In 1625 Pietro della Valle, a roman nobleman wrote that it belonged originally to the Armenians and that in the buttress of its outer walls all the stones were inscribed with Armenian letters. In fact during the Lusignan rule it belonged to the Latins, and possibly later by the Armenian Catholics. The Turks had converted it to a mosque but in 1589 the Greeks managed to purchase it back. The Church was restored in the 17th Century. Its graceful belfry was one of the few permitted by the Turks. Belfries were not usually allowed in the Ottoman Empire until 1857, as the ringing of the bells was regarded by the subject races as a signal for an uprising against their masters. Except on rare occasions the Turks had forbidden any church to have a belfry. (Extract from: Historic Cyprus and Excerpta Cypria)

Cyprus Post, Republic of Cyprus

Κυπριακά Ταχυδρομεία, Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία

Cyprus Post, Republic of Cyprus

Κυπριακά Ταχυδρομεία, Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία

Library of Cyprus University of Technology

Digital Heritage Research Lab of Cyprus University of Technology

12th December 1983

Designer: A. Malecos

Απαγορεύεται η δημοσίευση ή αναπαραγωγή, ηλεκτρονική ή άλλη χωρίς τη γραπτή συγκατάθεση του δημιουργού.

www.cypruspost.gov.cy

TIFF

EL, EN

Image

1983-CHRISTMAS-4C

35.160417, 33.346556

Aspioti Elka, Athens