Bishop Sean and Jenny were delighted to host the Right Reverend Mike Harrison, Bishop of Exeter, and his wife Rachel in Cyprus this week, on their first official visit to the Diocese.
Exeter has been a companion diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf since 1984. With two new bishops in post, the link between Exeter and Cyprus and the Gulf is being renewed and reimagined, and Bishop Mike will visit the Gulf in the near future.
On Saturday (25 October) the group visited St Barnabas Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Nicosia, where they were welcomed by Father Dimitriou and Father Demosthenes. Fr Demosthenes led the group on a tour of the Archbishopric, the Old Cathedral of St John and the icon museum at the Archbishop Makarios Cultural Foundation, sharing some of his own work as an iconographer. (Story continues below images; click to enlarge photos)
The next morning Bishop Mike preached at a Sunday service celebrated by Bishop Sean at St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral, which was followed by a reception in the church hall.
In the afternoon the group went to Larnaca, beginning at St Helena’s Anglican Church, to meet the congregation—and view the beautifully redecorated chaplain’s apartment. Next, they visited the 9th-century Church of St Lazarus, of whom it is said Barnabas and Mark consecrated him Bishop of Kition (Larnaca)—and that the church was built over his tomb. Eight days before Easter, the church’s 17th-century icon of St Lazarus is paraded through the streets of the town.
The group then went to Hala Sultan Tekke, where they were warmly welcomed by Imam Shakir Alemdar. The 18th-century Sufi mosque and lodge is next to the Larnaca Salt Lake, and is the burial place of Umm Haram (Hala Sultan)—a revered follower and relative of the Prophet Muhammad.
On Monday, Bishop Mike joined Bishop Sean in Morning Prayer at St Barnabas Church Limassol, followed by a meeting with Cyprus clergy, readers and spouses in the church hall.
An afternoon excursion to the Roman ruins of Curium offered a fascinating insight into the ancient history of the island, at a site where excavations have revealed the remains of structures dating back to the Late Cypro-Classical period (350–325 BCE).
On Tuesday, the bishops, Jenny and Rachel toured north Cyprus, first meeting members of the congregation of St Andrew Kyrenia and holding morning prayer at The Hermitage chapel.
And then it was on to Salamis, the deeply atmospheric place where St Paul and St Barnabas first arrived on the island, and the nearby site of St Barnabas Monastery and tomb.
A joyous Eucharist at St Mark’s Church in Famagusta was followed by a meal with the student congregation.
Back in Nicosia, Bishop Sean and Bishop Mike visited Caritas Cyprus on Wednesday morning, discussing shared areas of concern and cooperation with Executive Manager Elizabeth Kassianis.
A final excursion, on Thursday, saw the Reverend William Clocksin welcome the group at the Greek Orthodox church of Ayia Kyriaki in Paphos, followed by a visit to the archaeological site of St Paul’s Pillar.
Bishop Mike and Rachel bade farewell to the island on Friday, the bonds of fellowship between the Dioceses of Exeter and Cyprus and the Gulf strengthened yet further.
