Cyprus

Late Bronze Age tomb excavated in the cemetery of Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus, by the New Swedish Cyprus Expedition, , in collaboration with The Cyprus Institute, and with permission of the Department of Antiquities Cyprus. A section of Tomb UU of 4m x 4m was excavated and contained mortuary depositions.

Late Bronze Age tomb excavated in the cemetery of Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus, by the New Swedish Cyprus Expedition, in collaboration with The Cyprus Institute, and with permission of the Department of Antiquities Cyprus. Tomb TT is a complete chamber tomb that contained mortuary contexts.

The refectory to the north of the church is an elongated cross-vaulted hall (c.5 x 20m) with an apse on the east wall (bearing traces of fresco). The window arches and the transversal arch responds of the original north wall (carrying the vaults) were built in brick. The structure was extensively restored in 1965-69: the site was excavated (an hypocaust belonging to a later Turkish bath was found, as well as a later south wall), the west and south walls, the cross-vaults over the three bays, the barrel vault over the east bay and the conch of the apse were rebuilt.

The catacomb of Agia Solomoni is located on the south-west side of the “Fabrika” hill, along the main road to the harbor of Kato Paphos, in close relation with the church of Panayia Chrysopolitissa. The site is an underground complex of Hellenistic tombs carved into the bedrock, composed by a central courtyard surrounded by four rooms and a staircase leading to a water spring. Most probably these spaces were later used by hermits and monks during the Byzantine period.

The small arch covered church of Ayia Solomoni is built on a low hill to the east of the village of Koma tou Yialou in the Karpas. The church dates from the 8th century and was originally decorated throughout with frescoes. Unfortunately, its long abandonment and disrepair, had resulted in the destruction of most of the murals. The frescoes of the church of Ayia Solomoni are unique in Cyprus and can be dated to the 9th century. Unfortunately, these murals have been removed after the 1974 events and smuggled abroad to be sold on the black market.

The Monastery of Apostle Andreas is situated on a rocky beach in the easternmost point of the Karpas peninsula. It was built in 1867 with the initiative of priest Ioannes and inaugurated by Archbishop Sophronios I. The monastery was built in the spot where, during his first missionary journey, Apostle Andreas needed to disembark his ship and miraculously exposed a natural water source.

AGIOS SPYRIDON, one of the last traditional fishing vessels (‘τράτες’) of Cyprus, has been out of water for many years, on the beach next to the small harbor of Latsi, Polis Chrysochous. Built on Crete in 1950, it belongs to the type of boat termed Karavοskaro. Very commonly used as fishing trawlers, only a limited number of karavoskara exists in the Aegean, nowadays; AGIOS SPYRIDON is one of the few among them that are longer than 18-22m. Considering all these points, the vessel should be listed as a monument of nautical heritage, which needs to be protected.

During restoration works realized in a private house in Nicosia, archaeological remains have been discovered in the basement of the building. The archaeological excavation, conducted by the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus, unveiled two rooms featuring walls foundations, niches and pits. The house insists in an area where a monastery was presumably built.

During   planned   road   works   carried   out   by   the   Larnaca Sewerage and Drainage Board in the area surrounding the religious complex of the Catholic Church, known today as Terra Santa but officially dedicated to Saint Mary of Graces, and its adjacent convent, archaeological remains and linear structures were discovered.