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A
church founded about the year 1360...
THE NESTORIAN CHURCH
Now
follows a description (Jeffery,
1918; read
his very remarkable and modern lines!)
of the Nestorian Church of Famagusta in the first quarter of the XXth
century. It is very interesting to have this description at hand when
visiting Famagusta and the Nestorian Church... You'll notice striking
differences when comparing the situation now and than - you are the
judge!
The origin
of the Nestorian Church of Famagusta seems sufficiently well known.
Strambaldi in his chronicle (1450) states that the brothers Lachas (or
Lachanopoulos) amongst the richest merchants of Famagusta "fece
fabrica la chiesa di Nestoriani dalli fondamenti". This family
is mentioned in many other records of the period as forming part of
the financial aristocracy of the city. It would appear that the family
of Lachas founded the church about the year 1360 (Enlart, p. 358) and
that within a short period afterwards it was enlarged at their expense.
The
description of this church in Enlart's "Art Gothique" gives
an idea of its condition in 1899. He says: "The church in question
belongs to a style which is precisely that of the period to which Macheras
refers, and within a short time of its construction it has been subjected
to a very considerable enlargement. This church, built in excellent
cut stone consisted originally of a simple nave of three bays of vaulting
with an apse. The vaulting was without ribs, but according to Cyprus
custom a chamfered arch is carried across the nave as a division between
the bays."
The north and south side aisles axe treated in the same manner."
"In
the north and south walls of the church, and also in the apse, are lancet
windows without ornament and merely splayed on the inside and outside;
at the West is a rose window of which the traceried filling-in has almost
disappeared. It surmounts a large doorway of simple design. The side
walls are carried up as low gables following the lines of the vaults,
and crowned with a moulded cornice."
The arches spanning the nave and aisles spring from carved capitals
on short sections of wall shafts which seem to start out of the wall
in the form of a right angle - in other words the corbel beneath the
capital is formed by a fraction of column in the shape of an elbow.
This curious archaism in the Cypriot style may be noticed at different
periods, and it is derived from a favourite treatment in the XIIth century
buildings of Palestine.
Some features in this building recall the churches of northern Italy.
The inside arches are built of alternate dark and white stones, and
the windows of the south able are grouped in threes in precisely the
same manner as in the churches of Vicenza or St. Antonio, Padua. The
key-stones of the main vault axe formed as crosses of a dark colour,
but there is no boss.
An
elegant doorway formerly at the west end of the south aisle is described
- and illustrated by a sketch of its detail - in M. Enlart's book. This
has been practically destroyed in the course of a former "restoration".
A picturesque belfry above the west Wall of the north aisle, pierced
by two large arches, with a smaller one between and above them, has
been much ruined by the bombardment of 1570. On the south side of the
church are remains of an archway constructed with zig-zag mouldings
- a curious feature used at all periods of Cyprus art. The archway evidently
connected the church with monastic buildings on the south-west.
At the time of M. Enlart's visit in 1899, the Nestorian Church was still
entirely covered with paintings internally, a few of which were quite
recognizable. In the apse Christ was represented seated under a palm
giving the keys to St. Peter. On the north a somewhat similar subject
was portrayed, and underneath was a figure holding a roll on which was
a Syriac inscription.
Of the square pillars of the nave arcade, that on the south side has
on its four faces - St. John Baptist, a Bishop, Blessed Virgin Mary
with a small representation underneath of St. Luke painting, St. Helena.
That on the north side is decorated with a figure of a Saint, (Syriac
inscriptions,) underneath is represented the Last Supper, Blessed Virgin
Mary, the Annunciation, with Syriac inscriptions, a Saint with a black
beard.
In the south aisle a number of figures of Saints, amongst which is a
colossal Michael, and the remains of a large mural painting of XIVth
century Italian style. An elegant figure of an angel was copied by M.
Enlart, and is represented in his book (p. 364).
In
the north aisle the paintings seem to have resembled those in the south,
but are more defaced.
In the western bay of the nave which is prolonged beyond the line of
the side aisles, forming a square projection of the building, is a founder's
tomb consisting of an arched recess decorated with mouldings and in
a style which seems later than the church. It has been painted with
various subjects, the Annunciation, Coronation of the Virgin, etc. On
the west wall are several large figures of Saints with Syriac inscriptions,
which have unfortunately been much injured by persons placing lighted
candles against them - a primitive form of worship much practised in
Cyprus, probably the most destructive to mural paintings ever invented,
which consists in simply sticking the lighted candle on to the wall
by its lower end, and leaving it to gutter away!
The paintings, like the building of the church, are of two periods.
The earlier is evidently in an original Syriac style similar to what
may be found in northern Syria. The later period of painting has been
influenced by Italian models of the XVth and XVIth centuries.
No tombstones or memorials of any kind survive within this church, the
floor seems to have been relaid with a paving of walling stones roughly
fitted together.
