Building the Sacred in a Crusader Kingdom

At the eastern confines of Latin Christendom, between the Crusader states, Byzantium and Islam, the Lusignan kingdom of Cyprus (1192-1489) was home to a rich and diverse array of Gothic ecclesiastical structures, significant remains of which are still to be seen today. From the grand Latin cathedrals of Nicosia and Famagusta, the austere churches of the mendicant orders and the magnificent monastic buildings of Bellapais Abbey to the imposing Greek cathedral of Famagusta and the churches of the Eastern Christians (Armenians, Melkites, Maronites etc.), Cypriot Gothic architecture evolved to serve the needs of the island's multi-cultural and multi-creedal society. This new study, based on original research on the fabric of the edifices, offers a fresh account of the development and place of Cypriot Gothic in the architectural history of Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, by examining the ambitions of the patrons and the choices (and compromises) of the master masons responsible for this unique monumental heritage. Michalis Olympios received a PhD in art history from the Courtauld Institute of Art (London). His research currently focuses on art and architecture in the Latin East, 12th-16th centuries.