Cyprus Under Venice

Venice emerged when the Goths invaded and the people of Veneto fled to the lagoon. Legend claims the city was founded in AD 421 on the 25th April, St Mark's Day. Trade links with Byzantium were forged, and the city prospered on its salt trade. The first doge, elected in 697, was a Byzantine magistrate. In 828, the Venetians brazenly stole the relics of St Mark the Evangelist from Alexandria for their basilica.

The Venetian Republic (697-1797), traditionally known as La Serenissima, was primarily a maritime republic. Before long, Venice dominated trade in the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas, as well as commerce between Europe, North Africa and Asia. It provided supplies and shipped Crusaders to fight the Saracens in the Holy Land; in the Fourth Crusade, which culminated, in 1204, with the conquest of the Byzantine capital, Constantinople.

In Cyprus, Venetians were based on the island before Venice formally took over in 1489. White Venetians were made up of Venetians who were already settled on the island and who owned or managed large agricultural tracts and paid annual taxation.

Caterina Cornaro's family maintained close ties with the Kingdom of Cyprus from the 14th century onwards and owned the sugar mills in the area of Episkopi in Limassol. 

Caterina arrived in Cyprus at the end of 1472 and ruled the island from 1474 until 1489. In 1489, she was forced to give up the administration of the state to the Venetians and returned to Venice and made her home at Asolo where she lived until 1510. 

Nicosia was the administrative centre for the Venetians. It was the largest town and the commercial and administrative centre, and like Famagusta, developed into a large urban centre. At that time, Nicosia had a population of some 30,000 inhabitants.

Urban councils were set up in the town, and the city had two councils. One represented the top echelons of urban society, that is the nobles and the bourgeoisie, and the other, the lower classes. 

The town's economy was linked to trade, but also to a range of crafts, such as weaving, the production of woven goods, and dye processing that operated in the town and were linked to agriculture.

In 1567, the Venetians decided to fortify the city of Nicosia. The new walls were in the shape of a star, with eleven bastions. The heart-shaped design of the bastion was more suitable for the new artillery and for better control by the defenders. The walls had only three gates, Kyrenia Gate to the north, Paphos Gate to the west, and to the east Famagusta Gate, which is the largest and was named Porta Julia.

As well as Cyprus, Venice governed the Peloponnese, Crete and most of the Greek islands.

The lion, has stood on a column in St Mark's Square in Venice since around the 12th Century and is recognised worldwide as a symbol of the city. The winged lion is the traditional emblem of St Mark, the patron saint of Venice.

Sources: A Guide to the History of Nicosia (Leventis Municipal Museum), Eyewitness Travel: Venice and the Veneto

The Plight of A Queen...Leto Severis

Following the marriage to James II, Caterina discovered in a few months that she was going to have a baby and this gave her a purpose in life. Six months after her marriage, she suddenly saw in front of her a dusty exhausted man who told her that James was seriously ill and that he was to take her to him at once. Whispers around her were attributing this sudden illness to a cold or stomach problems, but the more forthright were speaking of poison.

Before he died, James had the strength to dictate his last will in front of witnesses. He died on the 10th July 1473. During these tragic days she was living through, she brought her baby into the world on the 6th August 1473. He was a sickly boy who was the last descendant of the Lusignan kings of Cyprus, Jerusalem and Armenia. 

On the 28th of September 1473, the baptismal ceremony took place at the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in Famagusta, with all the magnificence fitting to the heir to the throne, and the baby was proclaimed with the name James III.

During the following months, Caterina was occupied by her deep mourning and absorbed in maternal cares for her sickly baby. It was impossible for her to follow the terrible diplomatic intrigues. But Venice was keeping watch. There were two claims to the throne of Cyprus, the dethroned Charlotte and Venice, who were both working intensely to acquire it, now that James was dead and Caterina was an almost non-existent queen. The third pretender to the throne, was Ferdinand of Naples.

The Venetian fleet was always anchored in the port of Famagusta and on the 4th October 1473, the Admiral Bragadino occupied the castles of Kyreneia, Limassol, Famagusta, Buffavento and Kantara, in the name of Venice, ostensibly, to protect the adopted daughter of Venice who was now Queen of Cyprus.

On the 13th and 14th of November, 1473, a revolt broke out, organised by the Neopolitans and supported by a section of the Cypriot population. That night Caterina's uncle Andrea Cornaro, was killed. The next day, the revolt was bloodily suppressed by the Venetians and it was now evident that they were without disguise masters of the situation and had total control of the queen.

On the 26th of August, 1474, James III, the sickly baby of Caterina and James II, who was the last successor of the Lusignans, died, once again under strange circumstances. Suspicions of murder were again directed at Venice.

Caterina's sorrow was so great that many people thought she had lost her reason. She became introverted, and nothing could console her. This situation, and the queen's distraction was exploited by Venice, the true master of Cyprus. 

Caterina sent Philip Podocataro, who was of Greek origin, as an envoy to Venice, to assure the Council of Ten of her devotion towards the Republic. Then the Venetians sent two galleys which anchored in Famagusta harbour. When the Cypriots saw the Lion of Saint Mark fluttering out to sea, they despaired, for they realised that nothing could save the independence of Cyprus.

World Affairs... A Shakespearean Masterpiece

 "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players." (As You Like It)

"O brave new world that has such people in it." (The Tempest)

" I hold my peace, sir? no; No I will speak as liberal as the north; Let heaven and men and devils, let them all, All, all cry shame against me, yet I'll speak." (Othello)

"The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose." (Merchant of Venice)

"We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and out little life is rounded with a sleep." (The Tempest)

"The fault dear Brutus is not in our stars but in ourselves." (Julius Caesar)

Icons...

During the Komnenos dynasty (1081-1180), the Byzantine style, which had been rigid and highly formalised up to that point, began to move towards realism and emotional expression in the figures and in their settings.

The golden age of Cypriot icon painting was the 12th century, when the island's rulers invited celebrated artists from Constantinople to paint frescoes in the monasteries and churches which they founded. In the 13th century, the Byzantine tradition continued.

After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, many artists sought refuge on Cyprus under the protection of Queen Helena Palaeologus, the niece of the last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI. Under the influence of these painters, a new school developed on Cyprus in which elements of Palaeologon technique survived, blended with elements of Italian art.

Few icons survive from the period immediately after the Ottoman capture of the island in 1571, which marked the decline of the Cypriot school. One notable exception is the icon of St. George, painted in 1599.

After the Ottoman invasion, many religious painters abandoned the island. At the same time, icons began to be imported from the Ionian islands and Crete.

Sources: Raymond Hiscock: Open Letters From Cyprus

Turkey...As Explained by Tim Marshall

 The Turks-you'd think they originated in Turkey, wouldn't you? After all, 'Turkiye' means 'Land of the Turks.' But no, the original Turks came from far away, east of the Altai Mountains in Mongolia. Getting to what is now the homeland, and then ensuring it was called Turkey, was quite a journey.

Ataturk ('Father of the Turks') ruled for fifteen years during which he transformed his country, introducing a series of radical reforms to modernize Turkey after concluding that modernization meant Westernization.

 Ataturk understood that language is culture. He bridged a divide, touring the country and showing up in village squares and schools armed with a portable blackboard on which he chalked the new alphabet.

Fast forward to 1946. The Turks looked around their neighbourhood and saw very little they liked. Turkey still wasn't back as a major trade route and its neighbours were not exactly wealthy. Meanwhile, the Russians, whom they'd been fighting for centuries, now had troops in the Balkans as part of the Soviet expansion, were giving aid to Kurdish rebels as both worked to weaken Turkey and were gaining influence in Syria and Iraq. 'Splendid isolation' wasn't really an option-within six years Turkey was a member of NATO. It was a marriage of convenience.

Modern Turkey, seems to see the post-Cold War and 9/11 world as a jungle full of competitors in which it is one of the lions. It seeks to be self-sufficient in weapons and has enjoyed success in building a defence industry which it hopes will become a world-leading exporter.

At one point, Turkey was still Western-orientated and hanging on to dreams of joining the European Union, but it was becoming increasingly unlikely that Ankara would ever be invited to join the club. Economically, it does not meet enough criteria for entry and its record on human rights falls short.

In June 2020, Turkey announced it intended to begin drilling for reserves of natural gas, off the Greek islands. Greece was 'ready to respond.' 

Turkey's position is based on an astonishing agreement it came to with Libya in late 2019. It 'created' an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). At a stoke it theoretically blocked a proposed pipeline running from Israeli and Cypriot waters to Crete, on to the Greek mainland and then into Europe's gas network. The agreement was made with the government of Libya. 

Turkey doesn't recognise the UN's EEZ delineations and falls back on claims of sovereignty based on its continental shelf, which extends out into the Mediterranean. Russia, meanwhile, would prefer both projects to fail and for everyone to remain reliant on its supplies.

A Peaceful Day At The Beach: Broken Four Times

 I had a lovely day at the beach today, but it was a challenge getting there. I braced myself for what I knew, to be a chore navigating the Mesa Geitonia roundabout. 

Bright and early, just after eight, provocative, village-style Cypriots beeped their horns on the roundabout, as I waited to get the 'safe green light' to go. Their rude and disrespectful beeps were loud and insistent. I beeped back, in defiance. This is the 'lack of European standards,' which I commented on in a previous blog entry. I was fuming, fuming so much, that I would have been glad if their day got off to a bad start. 

On arriving at the beach, it was lovely and peaceful. A young Russian family were on my left, and a British mother and daughter on my right. This lasted for a while. 

The second 'break' of peace, happened when a Cypriot woman arrived with her two young children, who it was evident, had not been taught how to behave on a public beach. The mother wore dark shades, hooped golden earrings and a black swimsuit. She didn't want her children to bother her and she certainly wasn't playing with them on the beach. The two young sons were so happy to be on the beach, that they couldn't contain their enthusiasm-bless them. 

The mother was a 'suicide blonde,' an interesting tattoo on the back of her neck, and a huge tattoo on her right thigh. She was a typical example of a young woman, who had fallen from 'the Cypriot educational net.' A shame, I thought that the Cypriot educational system has failed the mother. Apparently, there is a hope for the younger generation. We will see. 

I ordered a coffee and read my book. The third disturbance was behind me. Two young men arrived, one smoking his life away and had a prominent tattoo. The other, was on his phone. They were your typical breed of Cypriot young man-bearded, talking nonsense. Another example of educational failure, and a 'lack of European etiquette.' I thought how on the periphery we are to Europe, balancing on the end of it, like hang-gliders in mid-air.

Meanwhile, the British mother and daughter talked about books, a soothing and calming conversation. The Russian family read their books peacefully. I was protected I thought, to my left and right by civilized human beings. Behind me, lay the remnants of governmental failures and division.

The waves lashed on the shore. I swam twice. I knew it was time to go, just after eleven, as the gardener started to trim the hedges and caused raucous noise for beach-goers, intertwined with the excited leaps and yells of the two young boys.

Amathus Archaeological Site

 Located on a high hill east of Limassol, are the stone remains of ancient Amathus. This was once a major commercial centre. It was the first of the island's city states and over the centuries it was inhabited by Greeks, Phoenician's, Egyptian's and Jews. 

After the arrival of Christianity in Cyprus, St Tychon founded a church here and became the first bishop of Amathus and he also became the patron saint of the town. 

The town existed until the 7th century AD, when together with other coastal centres, was destroyed by Arab raids.

From the site, fifteen Hathoric capitals were found, dated between the 6th and the beginning of the 5th century BC. They are associated with the worship of a Cypriot goddess, which were inspired by prototypes from Egypt and present a hellenised image of the Egyptian goddess Hathor. On these capitals, you can see the sacred serpent, which was a symbol of royal power, averting evil and bad luck.

Sources: Eyewitness Travel: Cyprus, Cyprus Department of Antiquities

The Council of Ten, Venice

The Council of Ten, existed from 1310 until 1797. It was created by Doge Pietro Gradenigo in 1310. It was supposed to be a temporary body and was composed of ten patrician magistrates who imposed punishment and banishment. 

It was a highly sensitive organisation and all its members took an oath of secrecy.

Sources: Wikipedia

Death of A Queen...Leto Severis

 In 1490 Caterina went for a while to Venice, but the Council of Ten obliged her to return to Asolo. Now she cared only for the salvation of her soul, and did not look after her person. Her beautiful, long blond hair was simply wound up on her head. The people who knew her when she was young, could not believe that this heavy woman was the Caterina Cornaro they used to know. She awaited her death stoically; perhaps, she even looked forward to it. Worldly things offered her nothing any more. No joy remained in her life.

Around 1502, Caterina was allowed to go to Venice and live with her brother Georgio Cornaro in his luxurious palace in the parish of San Cassiano. The Council of Ten realised that she held no dangers for them at all. Caterina retired from public life and very rarely appeared in the noble palaces. She walked round Venice and crossed the bridges over the canals with an expressionless face, to visit different churches and pray, especially in the church of the Holy Apostles. She was allowed to circulate freely; the throne of Cyprus was for her an old and faded image. 

One day, at the beginning of July 1510, she felt strong pains in her stomach and on the 9th of July her condition became worse. On the 10th of July, while the great clock of Saint Mark was ringing four in the morning, Caterina expired with terrible pains. She was fifty-six years old. The sad news went from mouth to mouth, "The Queen of Cyprus is dead."

Venice was always very generous at the great or tragic moments in its adopted daughter's life and was always proud that a daughter of the Republic wore the royal crown of the Lusignans. The coffin was placed in the church of San Cassiano. Caterina's body, in accordance with her wishes, was dressed in the habit of the Franciscan nuns. From San Cassiano, a magnificent procession was formed to escort the coffin to the church of the Holy Apostles, where the family tomb of the Cornaros was situated. 

At the head of the procession, were priests, followed by the Doge's delegation, Caterina's close relatives and the nobles of Venice, all dressed in heavy mourning with the sadness painted on their faces. When the funeral began, the sky was all blue, but soon dark clouds gathered and a gloomy shadow hid the heavens. Suddenly, a storm broke out, a rare thing for that season in Venice. It rained thick hail, the wind tore the flags and the deafening sound of the thunder and the violent lightning rent the sky. 

It was a curious coincidence, this storm, coming from the Queen of Cyprus, Jerusalem and Armenia, dressed in a nun's thick habit who was going to her final home. 

Andrea Novagiero bid farewell to the dead queen and the storm abated, the sky became completely blue and the church was deserted. Caterina Cornaro, the last Queen of Cyprus, passed into history and began her journey to eternity. 

At the end of the 16th Century, the tomb of Caterina Cornaro was transferred to the church of San Salvatore (The Saviour) where her tomb can still be visited. On a white marble slab is incised the following inscription: The mortal remains of Caterina Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus, Jerusalem and Armenia. 

St. Nicholas of the Cats, Akrotiri

St. Nicholas of the Cats stands on the Akrotiri peninsula, between the salt lake and the military airport. It was founded by St Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, who visited the island while returning from the Holy Land. 

She brought cats to the island to fight away the ferocious snakes that plagued the island. During that time there was also a severe drought and the cats were shipped from Persia, Egypt and Palestine. Two bells were used to attract the cats, one for feeding and one for hunting. The snakes were soon eradicated and in time, created the breed of cat we now know as the 'Cyprus Cat.'

Construction of the monastery began in 327, by Byzantine governor Kalokeros who was sent to release the cats. The building seen today, is the result of remodelling that occured during the 14th Century. 

The nuns took over the monastery in 1983. Sadly the old church was shuttered up and we were unable to go inside to see it.

Sources: Wikipedia, Eyewitness Travel: Cyprus