Population and religion. Orthodox Church of Cyprus Cypriots Orthodox or Catholics

The vast majority of the population of Cyprus (approximately 4/5) professes Christian beliefs, the rest is Islam.

Christianity. In the course of historical development, various directions of Christianity have spread on the island, which is represented here primarily by the Orthodox Church, as well as the Armenian-Gregorian, Catholic and Maronite churches.

The Orthodox Church, whose followers are Greek Cypriots, was founded on the island, according to legend, in the 1st century. n. e. the Apostle Barnabas, revered as the national saint of Cyprus. In 478 AD e. The Cypriot Church received autocephaly (full independence) from the Byzantine Emperor and, as an independent and equal church, took part in all councils and meetings of Orthodox churches, including the last III Pan-Orthodox Conference on the island of Rhodes in 1964. The Church is headed by an archbishop and divided into three bishoprics and a region directly subordinate to the archbishop. In addition to the numerous temples found in almost every village, the church has 11 monasteries in Cyprus, which own significant and most fertile lands on the island, with year-round artificial irrigation, and other large property.
The Cypriot Orthodox Church plays an important role in the political and economic areas of Cyprus. The church has its own printed organ - the monthly magazine “Apostolos Varnavas”.

Armenian Gregorian Church. The emergence of the Armenian-Gregorian religious community in Cyprus dates back to the 11th century. Of the 3,628 Armenians living in Cyprus in 1964, 3,378 belonged to the Armenian Gregorian religion. The Armenian-Gregorian religious community in Cyprus has a church in Nicosia and a monastery near Kythrea. The leadership of the religious community of Cypriot Armenians is carried out by the Cypriot diocese, associated with the so-called Catholicos of the Great House, currently located in Antillas (Lebanon), which is one of the sees of the apostolate of the Armenian Orthodox Church. The affairs of the Diocese of Cyprus are conducted and controlled by a committee elected by the community.

Religious Latin Catholic community formed in Cyprus in the 10th century. But according to the official census of 1960, the number of Catholic Cypriots reached 4.5 thousand people. These are mainly descendants of immigrants from Italy. Not counting the monastery chapels and schools, the Catholic community owns six churches, which are led by the Custodian of the Order of St. Land (a subdivision of the order's province of monks). The bishop of the community is considered to be the Catholic Patriarch in Jerusalem, who is represented in Cyprus by the chief vicar (vicar) and Nicosia. By special agreement with Jerusalem, the jurisdiction of the Vicar General extends to all Catholic parishes, with the exception of the Maronites.

Maronite Church is currently bound by union with the Catholic Church, led by the Pope.
15 The religious cult and rituals of the Maronites, compared to the Orthodox, retained more archaic features characteristic of ancient Christian communities in Syria and Palestine.

Worship in Maronite churches is performed in the dead Syriac language (Aramaic), but the Bible, as well as some prayers, is read in Arabic.

The Maronite Church is headed by the Patriarch of Antioch and the Middle East, who has his residence in Bkirki (Lebanon). Occupying the patriarchal seat is associated with the approval of the Pope. One of the church's 16 archbishops bears the title of "Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus", and has jurisdiction over both Lebanon and Cyprus.

The island's Maronite religious community is governed by an elected bishop, based in Nicosia.
Run by the Maronite religious community of Cyprus there is a monastery and ten churches. The monasteries are associated with the Order of the Brothers of St. Antoine, whose center is located in Lebanon. Divine services in village and Yuroda churches are conducted under the direction of curates (parish priests), who are trained mainly by the Maronite college in Rome.

The Maronite clergy, unlike the Catholic clergy, can be married.

Islam. The spread of the Muslim religion (Islam) in Cyprus dates back to the end of the 16th century, when Cyprus was annexed to the Ottoman Empire and a Turkish national community was formed on the island.

Muslims in Cyprus belong, as in Turkey, to the Sunni branch of Islam. They are headed by a mufti, elected to this position by the male population of the Turkish community. Mosques and other places of worship of Muslims in Cyprus exist mainly on funds collected through donations, as well as partial subsidies from religious organizations, including Efkaf - the Property Management of Muslim Religious Institutions.

The island of Cyprus is shared mainly by residents of two countries - Greece and Turkey. Also among the population are descendants of Armenians, British, Syrians and many other nationalities. Therefore, tourists who decide to visit this Mediterranean region and are seriously interested in what faith is a priority in Cyprus should know that four types of world religions coexist peacefully here: Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Hinduism. Due to the fact that throughout its history the island has experienced the cultural influence of a variety of peoples, complete freedom of religion has taken root here.

More than two thousand years ago, the Greeks brought its main religion to Cyprus - Orthodoxy. According to historical facts, it was here that the very first Christian state was created, so Cypriots can safely be considered the first representatives of this faith. The biblical story tells that after the resurrection, Saint Lazarus arrived here and lived here for thirty years. Now the largest part of the inhabitants of the lands of Cyprus (about 78%) are Greeks, they profess the Christian faith, and this is the official status of the Greek Church. It is interesting that all representatives of the main branches of Christianity live happily in these parts: Orthodox believers, Catholics and Protestants. The diocese of the Orthodox Church contains more than five hundred churches and about a dozen monasteries. The Holy Synod includes its head, the bishops of the cities of Paphos, Morphou, Larnaca, Kyrenia and Limassol. Cyprus has even published a series of books in Russian, which are dedicated to the Orthodox culture of the Mediterranean island. There are not many Catholics here, only 3% of all residents, that is, about thirty thousand people. They are mainly descendants of people from Lebanon, but there are also followers of the Roman Catholic Church. Rarer among Christians here will be those who consider themselves Protestants.

What is the main faith in the northern, Turkish territories of Cyprus? Most of the Christian churches in this part of the island are in poor condition, since these lands belong to the representatives of the Muslim religion. Some ancient Catholic and Orthodox churches have been converted into museums, and some into mosques. This state of affairs dates back to the capture of these territories by the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. Then a small part of the Greeks inhabiting the island converted to Islam, and from the 17th century the main part of the supporters of Islam were immigrants from the Turkish mainland. Turkish Cypriots mainly belong to the Sunni sect, and in general Muslims make up almost a fifth of the total population of Cyprus, that is, about 20% of the inhabitants.

There are not even one percent of representatives of Judaism here: the total number of Jews does not exceed two thousand people. The only functioning synagogue with a mikvah for ablutions is located in Larnaca. And approximately the same number of Cypriots profess Hinduism. A little more than a couple of thousand people live here from India and their descendants, which also amounts to less than one percent of all Cypriots.

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The following world religions are mainly represented in Cyprus:

• Christianity
• Islam
• Judaism
• Hinduism

• 1 Statistics
• 2 Christianity
  • 2.1 Orthodoxy
  • 2.2 Catholicism
  • 2.3 Protestantism
  • 2.4 Other Christians
• 3 Islam
• 4 Judaism
• 5 Hinduism
• 6 See also
• 7 Notes

Statistics

Christianity

All three main trends in Christianity are represented in Cyprus:

• Orthodoxy
• Catholicism
• Protestantism

Many Christian churches in the Turkish part of the island are in disrepair after the occupation, turned into museums or mosques.

Orthodoxy

Most Greek Cypriots are members of the Cypriot Orthodox Church, which has the status of the official state church and is an autocephalous Orthodox Church. The Cypriot Orthodox Church consists of one archdiocese and five metropolises, has more than 500 churches and 9 monasteries. The highest governing body of the church is the Holy Synod, consisting of the Primate (head of the Synod), the bishops of Paphos, Kition (Larnaca), Kyrenia, Limassol, Morphou, as well as suffragan bishops as permanent members. The Bishops of Kyrenia and Morphou are staying temporarily in Nicosia due to the Turkish occupation of the northern part of the island.

A series of books dedicated to the Orthodox culture of Cyprus has been published in Russian.

Catholicism

Catholics make up about 3% of the population of Cyprus.

About 20,000 Cypriots are parishioners of the Maronite Catholic Church, mostly from Lebanon.

There are also approximately 10,000 members of the Roman Catholic Church living on the island.

Protestantism

There is a small number of Protestants in Cyprus, mostly Anglican.

Other Christians

There is also a small number of parishioners (about 3,000 people) of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Islam

The majority of Turkish Cypriots are Muslims, belonging mainly to the Sunni branch. Muslims make up 18% of the population of Cyprus.

Islam first appeared in Cyprus after its conquest by the Arabs in 649. Subsequently, despite the conversion of some Greeks to Islam, the majority of the island's Muslims were Turkish settlers, whose number increased greatly in the 17th century. Since 1974, the majority of Muslims have been concentrated in the northern part of the island, where the former largest Catholic churches of Nicosia and Famagusta have been converted into mosques since the Ottoman Empire captured the island in 1571.

Judaism

About 1,800 people practice Judaism in Cyprus.

In 2005, the only synagogue and mikvah on the island were opened in Larnaca.

Hinduism

Hinduism in Cyprus is practiced by about 2,000 people, mostly from India.

See also

• Philumenus (Hasapis)

Notes

1. Cyprus. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
2. YIANEL Books about the Orthodox culture of Cyprus

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Religion in Cyprus Information About

The thousand-year history of Cyprus, associated with the Frankish, Venetian, Ottoman occupation and the introduction of numerous peoples into the cultural environment, determines the independent character of the Cypriots, combined with their amazing religious tolerance.

Centuries-old ideological contradictions between Christians and Muslims are today an additional factor in interethnic tension, one of the reasons for the conflicts of recent history and the territorial demarcation of Cyprus into Turkish and Greek parts.

Religion of the Greek Republic of Cyprus

Cyprus, which is the brightest representative of a centuries-old multicultural tradition, is home to representatives of all the world's major religions: Christianity, Islam, Judaism and even Hinduism. Freedom of religion in Cyprus is guaranteed by the constitution, and the Republic of Cyprus is positioned as a secular state.

The geographical proximity of Greece had a huge influence on the ethnic composition and formation of the written language of the peoples inhabiting Cyprus, and the dominant influence of the Byzantine cultural tradition made the Cypriots ardent adopters of Christianity, although its first seeds were sown by immigrants from the Holy Land.

The Christian community of Cyprus is divided into three branches: Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant.

The vast majority of Cypriots - 94.8% of the population of the Republic of Cyprus - are parishioners of the Cypriot Orthodox Church, which has the status of the official state church and has enormous political influence. It is not for nothing that the first head of state after the declaration of independence was the spiritual leader and national hero of the Cypriots, Archbishop Makarios III.

The Church of Cyprus has large property in the form of land and monastic infrastructure. The autocephalous status of the Church of Cyprus provides the opportunity for administrative self-government while maintaining the unity of liturgical communion with other Orthodox local churches.

After the Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination in the Republic of Cyprus. The Catholic community is part of the worldwide Catholic Church and has approximately 20,000 parishioners. Half of them are Catholics of the so-called Latin Rite, the other half are representatives of Maronite Catholics. The Maronite archdiocese is located in Nicosia and, like all Catholics, reports directly to the Holy See (the Pope and the Roman Curia). The Maronite Catholic community of Cyprus consists of Syrian, Palestinian, Lebanese emigrants and their descendants.

The parishioners of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Cyprus, which has a number of differences from both Orthodoxy and Catholicism, are approximately 3,000 people.

The number of Protestants in Cyprus is very small, about 1% of the population (about 800 people) and is mainly represented by Anglicans from among the representatives of the British occupation corps remaining on the island and their descendants. Anglicanism is the result of the English reformation of Catholicism, a vivid manifestation of the individualism of British nature.

Muslims make up about 0.6% (less than 500 people) of the population of the Republic of Cyprus.

The largest Jewish community in Cyprus is located in Larnaca, where the only synagogue and mikveh on the island (a special reservoir for ritual ablutions of Jews) are open, the presence of which is of fundamental importance for Jews. Their total number in Cyprus is approximately 2,000 people.

People from India form the basis of the Hindu community in Cyprus, which also numbers about 2,000 people.

Religion of the Turkish Republic

The spread of Islam in Cyprus began in the 7th century AD, and Islam received the status of an “official” religion at the beginning of the Turkish occupation in the 16th century.

Currently, almost the entire population of Turkish Cyprus is a single Muslim community, constituting a fifth of the island's total population (approximately 150,000 people). The largest Catholic churches in Nicosia and Famagusta have been converted into mosques.

Orthodox Greeks live in northern Cyprus in vanishingly small numbers.

The head of the Muslim community of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is the Mufti of Cyprus. Muslims in Cyprus practice Sunni Islam.
Nevertheless, the Republic of Northern Cyprus, not recognized by the world community, in the first article of its constitution, adopted in 1985, declares itself a secular state. The Turks of northern Cyprus are free to choose their religion. There is no compulsory study of Islam in schools.

Until recently, religious leaders did not have such influence on political life as the top of the Orthodox clergy of the Republic of Cyprus.

The recent trend is the growing influence of supporters of radical Islam who oppose Turkish atheism and religious tolerance. The current aggravation of the situation in the Middle East may increase the dangerous activity of radical Muslims.

Article 19 of the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus states that every person has the right to freedom of speech, conscience and religion. All religions are equal before the law. Every person has the right to freedom of religion and may practice his or her religion individually or collectively. The following world religions are represented in Cyprus: Christianity (Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism), Islam, Judaism, Hinduism. Most Greek Cypriots are parishioners of the Cypriot Orthodox Church.

According to legend, the Cypriot Orthodox Church was founded by the holy Apostle Barnabas about 1900 years ago. At the Council of Ephesus in 431 (III Ecumenical), the Cypriot Orthodox Church received full self-government. At that time, Cyprus was part of the Byzantine Empire, many of whose traditions and rituals are preserved in the local Orthodox Church today. In 478, the Cypriot Orthodox Church was declared autocephalous (which translated from Greek means (αυτός - itself and κεφάλι - head) an independent and independent church).

The Cypriot Orthodox Church consists of one archdiocese and five metropolitanates. The highest governing body of the church is the Holy Synod, consisting of the Primate (head of the Synod), the bishops of Paphos, Kition (Larnaca), Kyrenia, Limassol, Morphou, as well as suffragan bishops as permanent members. The Bishops of Kyrenia and Morphou are staying temporarily in Nicosia due to the Turkish occupation of the northern part of the island.

The official title of the Primate of the Cypriot Orthodox Church is Archbishop of New Justiniana and all Cyprus (Greek ί πάσης Κύπρου). On November 12, 2006, in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Nicosia, the enthronement of the current Primate of the Cypriot Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos II of New Justiniana and all Cyprus, took place.

The Orthodox Church retains enormous influence in the social and political life of Cyprus, and also remains the largest landowner on the island.

Greek Cypriots are generally more religious than their Turkish compatriots. They attend church regularly. The influence of the church is felt both in politics and in everyday life. Even McDonald's in Cyprus offers a special Lenten menu during Lent. Most Greek Cypriots, if they have any problems, immediately go to church to light a candle for a suitable saint. Sunday afternoon is a popular time to visit the monasteries, which are crowded with elderly pilgrims.

The Catholic Church has existed since 1099, headed by a vicar general, subordinate to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Palestine and Cyprus. The Cypriot Catholic Church unites believers of four rites - Latin, Armenian Catholics, Maronites and Greek Catholics.

The Turkish Cypriot community is predominantly Muslim. Turkish Cypriots are Sunni Muslims and their religion plays an important role in their culture. But Turkish Cypriots tend to be less religious compared to residents of mainland Turkey. The conservative Islamic culture found in the Middle East or parts of Turkey is not as evident in Cyprus. For example, alcoholic drinks are widely available and freely consumed by Turkish Cypriots. Women's clothing is less formal than in Turkey.

An integral part of the island's cultural heritage are mosques and other places sacred to Muslims. The history of Islam in Cyprus began during the Arab invasion in the mid-7th century, when the first mosques appeared in Paphos. After the defeat of the Arabs (963-964), Islam reappeared in Cyprus in 1570-1571. along with the Ottoman Turks. Historical evidence suggests that the Turkish Cypriot community was formed from two branches: on the one hand, the descendants of the Ottoman conquerors and settlers from Anatolia, on the other, the Greeks and other Christians converted to Islam. There were also linowamwaks (literally "linen cotton") - believers who were publicly adherents of Islam, but in private life continued to profess Christianity.

The mosques that appeared in Cyprus during Ottoman rule fall into two categories: churches converted into mosques and new mosques. In most cases, minarets were simply erected above churches. The temples, which were magnificent examples of Gothic architecture, became the first places that the Turks used to practice Islam. These include the Hagia Sophia (Selimiye Mosque) in Nicosia and St. Nicholas Cathedral (Mosque Lala Mustafa Pasha) in Famagusta, the Church of St. Catherine and the Church of the Virgin Mary (Omeriye Mosque) in Nicosia. Over time, new mosques were built, some of which are of both historical and architectural significance. Among them is the Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque, located in Larnaca on the shores of the Salt Lake, which is considered the main shrine of the Muslims of Cyprus. Other places of worship for Muslims are the Bayraktar Mosque (standard bearer mosque), the Yeni Jami Mosque (new mosque), the mosque in the village of Peristerona, as well as mosques in the cities of Larnaca and Limassol. The Muslims are led by the Mufti of Cyprus.

Some island residents practice Judaism. Larnaca has the only synagogue and mikvah (ritual purification pool) on the island.

Immigrants from India living in Cyprus profess Hinduism.