Christmas, Commemorative Issue
Dublin Core
Title
Christmas, Commemorative Issue
Description
In 2006 the Holy Church of Agiou Eleftheriou, a dependency of Machairas monastery in Lefkosia, celebrated the bicentenary of its construction. The church, hidden from the sights of passers by on Onasagoras street in the old walled city of Lefkosia, was built in secret in 1806 when Ottoman rule forbade the building of churches. It lies three feet below street level and is surrounded by houses. A visitor stands in awe before its walls that are covered with frescoes from Byzantine times.
What distinguishes the Holy Church of Agiou Eleftheriou is the authentic copy of the image of the Virgin Mary of Machairas, the original of which had been saved and kept in the church when fire had threatened and gutted the greater part of Machairas monastery in 1892.
Another characteristic of the church is the manner in which the icons have been placed in the iconostasis. The icon of the Virgin is mounted on the right of the sanctuary door instead of the left, as otherwise the Virgin would have had her back turned to Christ whose icon is mounted on the left. The iconostasis which dates from 1868 has twelve icons from the 19th and 20th centuries. The icon of Agios Eleftherios was donated by Archbishop Kyprianos of Cyprus who was martyred by the Ottomans in 1821.
Church services are held on Sundays but during weekdays the gates on the street are closed unless a priest from the monastery of Machairas is present. A special service is held on 15th December on the name day of Agios Eleftherios.
What distinguishes the Holy Church of Agiou Eleftheriou is the authentic copy of the image of the Virgin Mary of Machairas, the original of which had been saved and kept in the church when fire had threatened and gutted the greater part of Machairas monastery in 1892.
Another characteristic of the church is the manner in which the icons have been placed in the iconostasis. The icon of the Virgin is mounted on the right of the sanctuary door instead of the left, as otherwise the Virgin would have had her back turned to Christ whose icon is mounted on the left. The iconostasis which dates from 1868 has twelve icons from the 19th and 20th centuries. The icon of Agios Eleftherios was donated by Archbishop Kyprianos of Cyprus who was martyred by the Ottomans in 1821.
Church services are held on Sundays but during weekdays the gates on the street are closed unless a priest from the monastery of Machairas is present. A special service is held on 15th December on the name day of Agios Eleftherios.
Source
Cyprus Post, Republic of Cyprus
Κυπριακά Ταχυδρομεία, Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία
Κυπριακά Ταχυδρομεία, Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία
Publisher
Library of Cyprus University of Technology
Date
Contributor
Designer: Sophia Malekou
Rights
Απαγορεύεται η δημοσίευση ή αναπαραγωγή, ηλεκτρονική ή άλλη χωρίς τη γραπτή συγκατάθεση του δημιουργού.
Relation
www.cypruspost.gov.cy
Format
jpg
Language
en
Type
Identifier
2006CS29, 2006CS30, 2006CS31
Coverage
35.160417, 33.346556
Files
Collection
Citation
Cyprus Post, Republic of Cyprus
Κυπριακά Ταχυδρομεία, Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία, “Christmas, Commemorative Issue,” Αψίδα, accessed November 25, 2024, https://apsida.cut.ac.cy/items/show/44160.