Panagia Apsinthiotissa
Encyclopedia
Panagia Apsinthiotissa or Absinthiotissa is a Greek Orthodox monastery located at the southern foot of the Pentadaktylos range in the Republic of Cyprus
. As a result of Cyprus dispute
and the invasion
of the Turkish army in 1974, the site presently falls within the de-facto Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in Lefkoşa District
. The nearest settlements are Sychari
(Συγχαρί, Tr. Kaynakköy) and Vouno
(Βουνό, Tr. Taşkent).
The monastery was known in Western medieval sources as the Abbey of Abscithi or Apinthi. The name refers to Panagia
, the Orthodox name for the Virgin Mary, of Absinthe, a toponym derived from the cultivation of wormwood (Artemisia absinthium
) shrubs in the area. Sometimes the monastery is simply called Psithia, as in the Chronicle of George Boustronios. According to a local legend, the monastery was named after a wormwood bush that covered the mouth of the cave in which a monk had hidden an icon of the Virgin Mary in order to save it during the period of Byzantine Iconoclasm. Many years later, after the restoration of images, the inhabitants of the area saw a strange light shining from this point on the mountain. They found the icon and built a monastery immediately below in the name of the Virgin and the wormwood bush.
The monastery was probably established in the eleventh or twelfth century as a Byzantine imperial foundation and continued to enjoy a degree of prominence in the Lusignan
and Venetian
periods. Leontios, the abbot in about 1222, was one of the delegates sent to report the plight of the Orthodox Church under Latin jurisdiction to the Patriarch Germanos II
in the Empire of Nicaea
. Neophytus, Archbishop of Cyprus, was also in Nicaea at the time, having been banished by the Latin authorities for refusing to take an oath of obedience to the Roman Pontiff. Boustronios tells us that the Queen of Cyprus worshipped at the monastery in 1486, the implication being that Panagia Apsinthiotissa was under the Roman Church. He also reports that pilgrimages were made to Apinthi and Antiphonitis
on the fifteenth of August by all the people of Kyrenia
. After the Ottoman conquest, the monastery became the property of the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
and subordinate to the nearby Monastery of Saint Chrysostom in Koutsoventis
.
The main church of the monastery appears to have been built in the twelfth century and has a cross-in-square
plan of the Byzantine type surmounted by a high dome. The narthex
, on the west side, has simple Gothic rib vault
ing and probably dates to the fifteenth century. Writing in 1918, George Jeffery describes the establishment as ruin.
After the opening of checkpoints between the two parts of Cyprus in 2003, a group of Greek and Turkish architects associated with the Cyprus Civil Engineers and Architects Association (CCEAA) and the Chamber of Cyprus Turkish Architects began listing and documenting building as a way of preserving, safeguarding and operating the religious buildings of Cyprus that were abandoned after 1974. The monastery of Panagia Apsinthiotissa is among the places documented by this bi-communal group.
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. As a result of Cyprus dispute
Cyprus dispute
The Cyprus dispute is the result of the ongoing conflict between the Republic of Cyprus and Turkey, over the Turkish occupied northern part of Cyprus....
and the invasion
Turkish invasion of Cyprus
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus, launched on 20 July 1974, was a Turkish military invasion in response to a Greek military junta backed coup in Cyprus...
of the Turkish army in 1974, the site presently falls within the de-facto Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in Lefkoşa District
Lefkoşa District
Lefkoşa District is a district of Northern Cyprus. It is divided into two sub-districts: Lefkoşa Sub-district and Değirmenlik Sub-district. Its population was 84,776 in 2006. Its kaymakam is Müslüm Aykılıç....
. The nearest settlements are Sychari
Sychari
Sychari or Sichari is a village in the Kyrenia District of Cyprus....
(Συγχαρί, Tr. Kaynakköy) and Vouno
Vouno
Vouno is a village in the Kyrenia District of Cyprus....
(Βουνό, Tr. Taşkent).
The monastery was known in Western medieval sources as the Abbey of Abscithi or Apinthi. The name refers to Panagia
Panagia
Panagia , also transliterated Panayia or Panaghia, is one of the titles of Mary, the mother of Jesus, used especially in Orthodox Christianity....
, the Orthodox name for the Virgin Mary, of Absinthe, a toponym derived from the cultivation of wormwood (Artemisia absinthium
Artemisia absinthium
Artemisia absinthium is a species of wormwood, native to temperate regions of Eurasia and northern Africa....
) shrubs in the area. Sometimes the monastery is simply called Psithia, as in the Chronicle of George Boustronios. According to a local legend, the monastery was named after a wormwood bush that covered the mouth of the cave in which a monk had hidden an icon of the Virgin Mary in order to save it during the period of Byzantine Iconoclasm. Many years later, after the restoration of images, the inhabitants of the area saw a strange light shining from this point on the mountain. They found the icon and built a monastery immediately below in the name of the Virgin and the wormwood bush.
The monastery was probably established in the eleventh or twelfth century as a Byzantine imperial foundation and continued to enjoy a degree of prominence in the Lusignan
Kingdom of Cyprus
The Kingdom of Cyprus was a Crusader kingdom on the island of Cyprus in the high and late Middle Ages, between 1192 and 1489. It was ruled by the French House of Lusignan.-History:...
and Venetian
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
periods. Leontios, the abbot in about 1222, was one of the delegates sent to report the plight of the Orthodox Church under Latin jurisdiction to the Patriarch Germanos II
Patriarch Germanus II of Constantinople
Germanus II was Patriarch of Constantinople from 1223 until his death in June 1240.He was born at Anaplous in the second half of the 12th century...
in the Empire of Nicaea
Empire of Nicaea
The Empire of Nicaea was the largest of the three Byzantine Greek successor states founded by the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire that fled after Constantinople was occupied by Western European and Venetian forces during the Fourth Crusade...
. Neophytus, Archbishop of Cyprus, was also in Nicaea at the time, having been banished by the Latin authorities for refusing to take an oath of obedience to the Roman Pontiff. Boustronios tells us that the Queen of Cyprus worshipped at the monastery in 1486, the implication being that Panagia Apsinthiotissa was under the Roman Church. He also reports that pilgrimages were made to Apinthi and Antiphonitis
Antiphonitis
Antiphonitis is a 12th century domed church in Cyprus. It is reached from the network of tracks in the area of the Herbarium and Agios Amvrosios, situated with a view of the sea....
on the fifteenth of August by all the people of Kyrenia
Kyrenia
Kyrenia is a town on the northern coast of Cyprus, noted for its historic harbour and castle. Internationally recognised as part of the Republic of Cyprus, Kyrenia has been under Turkish control since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974...
. After the Ottoman conquest, the monastery became the property of the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem is the head bishop of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, ranking fourth of nine Patriarchs in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Since 2005, the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem has been Theophilos III...
and subordinate to the nearby Monastery of Saint Chrysostom in Koutsoventis
Koutsoventis
Koutsoventis is a village in the Kyrenia District of Cyprus....
.
The main church of the monastery appears to have been built in the twelfth century and has a cross-in-square
Cross-in-square
The term cross-in-square or crossed-dome denotes the dominant architectural form of middle- and late-period Byzantine churches. The first cross-in-square churches were probably built in the late 8th century, and the form has remained in use throughout the Orthodox world until the present day...
plan of the Byzantine type surmounted by a high dome. The narthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
, on the west side, has simple Gothic rib vault
Rib vault
The intersection of two or three barrel vaults produces a rib vault or ribbed vault when they are edged with an armature of piped masonry often carved in decorative patterns; compare groin vault, an older form of vault construction...
ing and probably dates to the fifteenth century. Writing in 1918, George Jeffery describes the establishment as ruin.
After the opening of checkpoints between the two parts of Cyprus in 2003, a group of Greek and Turkish architects associated with the Cyprus Civil Engineers and Architects Association (CCEAA) and the Chamber of Cyprus Turkish Architects began listing and documenting building as a way of preserving, safeguarding and operating the religious buildings of Cyprus that were abandoned after 1974. The monastery of Panagia Apsinthiotissa is among the places documented by this bi-communal group.