Thermeia
Encyclopedia
Thermεia is a village in the Kyrenia District
of Cyprus
, presently within the de-facto Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
.
Thermεia or Doğanköy is an ancient village located to the south-east of Kyrenia and is now a suburb of that town. George Jeffery reports that the village was a Çiftlik, an old Turkish farmstead. A stone-and-pebble paved road from Kyrenia passed through old olive groves to the village; it was metalled in the 1990s and named Zeytinli sokak.
The oldest building in the village is a small Orthodox church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The church, overlooking a river gorge, was built in several phases. The dome, belonging to the eleventh or twelfth century, indicates the building was first planned as a simple cross-in-square
church of the Byzantine type. The nave
, as well as the masonry encasing the walls round the base of the dome, were constructed subsequently, probably in the fifteenth or sixteenth century to judge from the style north door. The bell tower on western corner was added later, perhaps in the eighteenth century. Similar additions and sequences are found in many Cypriot churches, a good parallel being the old Agia Marina in Pyrga. Both Jeffery and Gunnis report that English sailors were buried at the Doğanköy church, but there was no trace of their graves in the 1970s. Gunnis mentions a "curious custom" whereby any child suffering from malaria was carried three times round the church and rolled back and forth in front of the west door.
Inside, the church is white-washed and without decoration; the floor was given modern tiles in the 1950s or 1960s. The iconostasis
dates to the nineteenth century; the historic icons were removed before 1974; the frame itself was damaged subsequently. Efforts to repair the church were undertaken beginning in 2000. While the grounds outside were being cleared of weeds, a number of glazed pot-sherds of the fifteenth or sixteenth century were found, testifying to the long life of the building and settlement. Also found beside the church was an early Christian pillar-base in marble; it may have been brought from Lambousa.
The village proper is located to the west of the church, suggesting the settlement has shifted or that the church was originally surrounded by its own properties. The stone houses in the village retain the vernacular Gothic elements sometimes found in the traditional domestic buildings of Cyprus; according to Gunnis, the oldest of them dates to about 1740. This was the family home of Dimitris Lipertis
, best known for his poetry in the Cypriot dialect. The building was heavily restored in 1971-72 by the Department of Antiquities at which time two ruinous rooms to the east side of the house were rebuilt.
Kyrenia District
Kyrenia District is one of the six districts of Cyprus. Its main town is Kyrenia . It is the smallest of Cyprus' districts, and is the only one fully controlled by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognised only by Turkey....
of Cyprus
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...
, presently within the de-facto Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Northern Cyprus or North Cyprus , officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus , is a self-declared state that comprises the northeastern part of the island of Cyprus...
.
Thermεia or Doğanköy is an ancient village located to the south-east of Kyrenia and is now a suburb of that town. George Jeffery reports that the village was a Çiftlik, an old Turkish farmstead. A stone-and-pebble paved road from Kyrenia passed through old olive groves to the village; it was metalled in the 1990s and named Zeytinli sokak.
The oldest building in the village is a small Orthodox church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The church, overlooking a river gorge, was built in several phases. The dome, belonging to the eleventh or twelfth century, indicates the building was first planned as a simple 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...
church of the Byzantine type. The nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, as well as the masonry encasing the walls round the base of the dome, were constructed subsequently, probably in the fifteenth or sixteenth century to judge from the style north door. The bell tower on western corner was added later, perhaps in the eighteenth century. Similar additions and sequences are found in many Cypriot churches, a good parallel being the old Agia Marina in Pyrga. Both Jeffery and Gunnis report that English sailors were buried at the Doğanköy church, but there was no trace of their graves in the 1970s. Gunnis mentions a "curious custom" whereby any child suffering from malaria was carried three times round the church and rolled back and forth in front of the west door.
Inside, the church is white-washed and without decoration; the floor was given modern tiles in the 1950s or 1960s. The iconostasis
Iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church...
dates to the nineteenth century; the historic icons were removed before 1974; the frame itself was damaged subsequently. Efforts to repair the church were undertaken beginning in 2000. While the grounds outside were being cleared of weeds, a number of glazed pot-sherds of the fifteenth or sixteenth century were found, testifying to the long life of the building and settlement. Also found beside the church was an early Christian pillar-base in marble; it may have been brought from Lambousa.
The village proper is located to the west of the church, suggesting the settlement has shifted or that the church was originally surrounded by its own properties. The stone houses in the village retain the vernacular Gothic elements sometimes found in the traditional domestic buildings of Cyprus; according to Gunnis, the oldest of them dates to about 1740. This was the family home of Dimitris Lipertis
Dimitris Lipertis
Dimitris Theophani Lipertis is a Cypriot born Greek poet and is considered as one of the most prominent poets of the island.-Biography:...
, best known for his poetry in the Cypriot dialect. The building was heavily restored in 1971-72 by the Department of Antiquities at which time two ruinous rooms to the east side of the house were rebuilt.