The Legacy of Joseph Barnabas in Cyprus

The scene of the crime

On Thursday, Lynne and I visited the Church of Panayia Angeloktisti in Kiti, a small village near Larnaca. The name means the all-holy church built by angels. This 11^th century Byzantine church replaced a 5^th century sanctuary that was destroyed by Arabs. The only surviving part of the earlier church is the apse, which contains a rare, 6^th century mosaic of Mary and Jesus between two archangels (Gabriel on the right and Michael on the left).

Mary and Child between the archangels Michael and Gabriel

We were alone in the church, happily taking photos, when an elderly man came in and saw us with cameras. He began fussing at us and pulled out his phone and began dialing a number and said, “….Police.” There was no sign at the door saying not to take pictures, so we were surprised by his anger. Anyway, we retreated to our car and headed for the beach near Kiti.

No others were at the area where we put on our snorkeling gear, so we had the place to ourselves. The water was nice, and we enjoyed looking at the various rocks and vegetation under the water. But we saw very few fish—which was disappointing. Overall, however, we had a nice day, especially in light of the fact that we got out of Kiti before the police arrived. What is the penalty for taking a picture (without a flash, of course) in a church? Bad Kiti!!