By Marinos Pavlikas *:
It will be turned into a museum, conference and research center.
Among the plans is the creation of a library, which will specialize in Middle Eastern cultures and Cypriot Hagiology and will edit the publications of scientific studies and literary works.
The Municipality of Ayia Napa seeks through cultural events to give life to the monastery, which is the ideal place for the organization of the Medieval Festival of the Municipality, which this year closes the twelve years of life
Life again acquires the most important reference point of Ayia Napa. The Medieval Monastery will be ready in 2019 to receive the first visitors as a museum, conference and research center, thus implementing a long-standing request of the residents of the city and the Holy Metropolis of Ayia Napa.
Last Monday, the President of the Republic, Mr. Nikos Anastasiadis, being in Paralimni, in the framework of a meeting with the local bodies of the free province of Famagusta, included among his new announcements for projects over € 33,4 million, the restoration project , promotion and promotion of the ancient Monastery of Ayia Napa. The project, which is expected to begin in January 2018 and end in July 2019, is a vision of the Holy Metropolis of Constantia-Famagusta.
The story
Already in 2007, during the reconstruction of the Metropolis, on the Initiative of the Metropolitan, Mr. Vassilios, the Cultural Academy "Agios Epifanios" was founded, based in the Holy Monastery, which aims to develop theological, historical and educational studies by presenting exhibits in museums and the organization of conferences on the premises of the Monastery. Already during the reign of Archbishop Makarios III, the monastery had been proposed as the most suitable to become an Ecumenical Conference Center for the service of the World Council of Churches and the Council of Churches of the Middle East.
Today, the Municipality of Ayia Napa seeks through cultural events to give life to the monastery, which is the ideal place for the organization of the Medieval Festival of the Municipality, which this year closes the twelve years of life and takes place every year in early October.
The story that connects the monastery with the name of the city is also known, since, as it is believed, the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary was found in the cave of the valley, which also gave the name "Napa" to the city. During the period of Komnenos (1081-1191) the natural cave was formed into a carved church, while at the arrival of the Franks on the island (1191) next to the carved church was built the villa of the lord of the area.
In 1489, when Cyprus came under Venetian rule, the entire building was converted into a monastery and later, with the conquest of the island by the Ottomans (1571), it fell to the Church of Cyprus. In the 18th century the monastery began to decline, with the result that in 1758 it was completely abandoned by the monks.
Institute of Postgraduate Studies
According to the Metropolitan of Constantia-Famagusta, Mr. Vassilios, the work of restoration, promotion and promotion of the Monastery includes a Museum, which will exhibit important archaeological finds, part of the Collection of Archbishop Makarios III, as well as icons of the Famagusta Metropolitan Region. some of which were part of the repatriated images of Munich. Among the plans is the creation of a library, which will specialize in issues of Middle Eastern cultures and Cypriot Hagiology and will edit the publications of scientific studies and literary works.
The premises will also host a research center, which will be established in collaboration with research centers abroad, for research and studies on the religion and culture of Cyprus and the wider region. As Metropolitan Vassilios revealed in "Simerini" on Sunday, there is intense interest from a Cypriot private university as well as from the Freie Universititt Berlin, which is ready to cooperate through research programs and student exchanges. Also important is the intention to create an Institute of Postgraduate Studies, which will specialize in Hagiology and the study of Middle Eastern Cultures.
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| The Metropolitan of Constantia-Famagusta, Mr. Vassilios |
The work of the Metropolis is diverse
The great importance of the creation of a research-cultural center in the Holy Monastery of Ayia Napa is added to the rich and multifaceted work, which has been produced since the time of its establishment by the Holy Diocese of Constantia-Famagusta. Next February marks the tenth anniversary of the first Hagiology Conference, organized by the Diocese with a focus on Agios Epiphanios. Since then, the Diocese has developed a rich cultural activity, since among others it organizes International Conferences of Cypriot Hagiology, International Book Exhibitions, Clergy Assemblies, as well as the Free University of Salamis.
On the other hand, one could not ignore the great charitable activity of the Diocese of Famagusta province, since especially during the recent period of economic crisis, there was a cohesive bond between the bodies of free Famagusta and its flock, applying the Social Grocery of the province , from which thousands of families found relief from the effects of the economic downturn.
Source: SIMERINI newspaper of Sunday (17/9/2017)