North of St. Sophia Cathedral in Nicosia, remains of the Venetian times...
THE ARCHBISHOP'S PALACE

Note: descriptions (as seen around 1918) by George Jeffery; pictures taken December 1, 2005.

"On the north side of the St. Sophia cathedral is a range of ancient buildings (part of which has unfortunately lately been destroyed), all now in private ownership. Set back a little at one side (picture right) is a fragment of the "Arcivescovado" of Venetian times.
The wall retains two small basement windows of a type which may be traced in most of the surviving fragments of old houses in Cyprus. These little windows are usually arranged for the light and ventilation of the lower floor towards the street at a height sufficient to prevent any attempt at escalade, in addition to which they are always provided with heavy iron bars.

Four coats of arms survive in an excellent state of preservation on different parts of the facade. Immediately over the doorway, at the apex of its arch, are two small shields, that on the left hand (1) charged with a simple cross the other (2) bearing a bend between two fleurs-de-lis. (Arms of the family of Aldobrandini?). These coats of arms may have some reference to the building of the palace, but all trace of their exact meaning is lost.

Close beside them is a rudely carved Italian shield (3) surmounted by a mitre, the coat of arms represented is that of the Donato family of Venice, three roses in chief, two bars in point. It is curious that this same coat of arms occurs on the Venetian column in front of the former entrance to the Palazzo Publico or Konak, but in that case the ducal cap is represented in place of the mitre.


Also an elegant marble panel (4 on top-picture) in the early Italian Renaissance style with a shield beneath a mitre, surrounded by honeysuckle ornament, the arms, a gryphon rampant, remains in the middle of the facade.

Converted into the tenancies of private owners the whole range of buildings formerly the Archbishop's Palace has been completely reconstructed internally and not even a trace of the Venetian period of construction, to which the coats of arms still upon the facade belong, can be detected."