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The most ancient part of Bellapais Abbey...
THE CHURCH
The
most ancient part of the Abbey is the church. This appears to have been
built by King Hugh IV (1324-1339). It is remarkably similar in design
and construction to the contemporary buildings at Much Wenlock Abbey,
or the older Norman nave of Oxford Cathedral. This similarity is especially
noticeable in the way in which the nave arches are designed with reference
to the columns supporting the vaulting of the nave.
Many of the details in this building have the puzzling effect of
appearing to belong to a more ancient style. In Cyprus, owing to the
Gothic style being entirely foreign to the custom of the country, the
native masons were in the habit of mixing together the most recently
imported ideas from Europe with methods of mason-craft long out of date.
As instances the side-windows of the aisles have an archaic effect
compared with the adjacent moulded corbels supporting the vaulting.
Similar anachronisms occur in the churches of Famagusta, and it is always
difficult to realize the date of Cyprus buildings on this account.
One of the peculiarities of this beautiful building is its flat roof
.
The mediieval buildings of Cyprus when vaulted in the European manner
were never covered with rainproof roofs as in Europe. The vaults were
covered on their outsides with 'terrazzo', or concrete of small stones,
puzzolana, and lime, in the same way as the small Byzantine churches
of the natives. This economy in roofing accounts for the total disappearance
of the greater number of the medieval monuments of Cyprus, many of which
seem to have been of magnificent proportions and of exceptional interest.
To this must be added the fact that although the construction of these
edifices was evidently superintended by European masons, or 'architects',
the workmanship betrays the very great inferiority of the Byzantine
builders employed under such supervision. Bella Paise Abbey is not an
exception in this respect.
The
interior of the church has been much altered by the Orthodox community
of the village. The windows seem to have been partially blocked, and
the presence of the 
iconostasis naturally makes a great difference, in the appearance of
the cast end. No monuments remain within the building although several
distinguished persons have been buried at Bella Paise, and according
to some authorities the remains of King Hugh III were here interred
in 1284. The west end of the church is much obscured by a large 'gynaiketis'.
The porch of the church retains several fragments of medieval painting
of a thoroughly Italian XIVth century style, very similar to the mural
paintings in the Famagusta churches. At the north end of the porch are
two wall recesses which appear to have been intended for the usual arched
tombs of the period.
The church was furnished with a belfry for four large bells
- it had neither campanile nor towers of any kind.
