Happy New Year! Today marks the first Sunday in the liturgical year of Mark. The heraldic symbol of St. Mark’s Gospel is the winged lion, it is also used by the Venetian Republic and the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria. Many of these Venetian lions can be found in the old walled city of Famagusta, on the island of Cyprus. The city has been under the administration of the Turkish Cypriots since 1974. Famagusta was very much in the news in the past weeks as the Turkish President made an infamous visit to the area of Varosha, the fenced-off area that was once a very prosperous part of the island with a Greek Cypriot majority.
Putting the politics aside, Famagusta is a city with rich history and culture. The Venetian Cathedral of St. Nicholas was converted into a mosque named after the Ottoman general Lala Mustafa Pasha in the late 16th century. There is also the Nestorian church of St. George the Exiler, one of the few remaining buildings of the Assyrian Church of the East. The Anglican parish of St. Mark, whose previous incarnation was a colonial church serving in the garrison during the British administration of the island (1878-1960), now serves a large student population from the African continent and British expatriates retirees. They meet in the little church of St. George, 6 km south of the ruins of the ancient city of Salamis, where St. Paul arrived from Antioch in Acts chapter 13. Often tourists visiting the Republic of Cyprus in the south would spend a day trip visiting Famagusta. Visits and intercultural exchanges between communities are very much on hold with the pandemic.
It is a very different Advent this year as we are longing for changes in the current climate and travel arrangements. We do hope soon, we will be able to visit the island and explore the footsteps of the faithful of the past, how they proclaimed the Gospel like a roaring lion.
Revd Harry Ching
