The Legacy of Joseph Barnabas in Cyprus

Stavrovouni Monastery emerges from the rock at the top of the hill. Women can go no farther than the gate with the cross on it.

Stavrovouni is the only monastery in Cyprus that allows no women on the premises. So Lynne had to stay in the parking lot while I walked up to the monastery. Perched on top of a hill, the setting provides a great view of a large part of the island. In modern Cypriot Greek, stavros (Greek Σταυρός) means cross, and vouno (Greek βουνό) means mountain. So the name means mountain of the cross.

According to tradition/legend, in the fourth century, St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, discovered the crosses on which Jesus and the two thieves were crucified. She was bringing them via ship from Palestine to Constantinople, but she encountered bad weather and was forced to stop in Cyprus. Miraculously, that night the holy cross was transported to the top of a nearby hill. St. Helena saw a light shining from the top of the hill, so she climbed the hill the next day and found the cross there.

Closer view of the monastery.

As the story goes, the cross resisted being moved, so Helena decided to leave a piece of it there and construct a chapel on top of the hill. She also left the cross of the good thief and a nail from the cross. Today, a large silver cross houses a piece of wood that the monks believe to be the piece of the cross, which is the main relic in the monastery. I did not see it. But I did see an icon of Barnabas, which I could not photograph. No cameras allowed.

Painting of Emperor Constantine and his mother, Helena, standing by the cross.

I was surprised at how many of the paintings on the walls of the monastery chapel depicted warrior saints and emperors dressed in their battle gear. I will need to ask some questions about these paintings.

Barnabas and Paul, founders of the church of Cyprus.

The small chapel in the small parking lot had a painting of Barnabas and Paul holding a church, depicting their role in establishing the church in Cyprus. It also had a painting of Emperor Constantine and Helena, his mother. One aspect of Cypriot life that intrigues me is the absence of separation of church and state. But that is a subject for another blog posting.