Late Antique basilicas on Cyprus : sources, contexts, histories
It is commonly accepted that Late Antiquity Cyprus emerged from relative isolation to greater engagement with Constantinople. This thesis reverses the paradigm and offers a contextual account of the island's basilicas in support of the proposition. Located between New Rome and New Jerusalem, fourth-century Cyprus occupied a nodal position in the Eastern Mediterranean. Under Epiphanius, bishop of Salamis (r.367-403) it was at the forefront of Nicene-Constantinopolitan faith-forging. In the late fourth and fifth centuries it was also the site of an ambitious building programme which instantiated its affiliations and produced buildings which, in scale and treatment, represented an engagement with Christendom's major monuments. This, arguably, was the period of greatest affiliation between Cyprus and Constantinople, not as centre and satellite, but in a shared recognition that Jerusalem was their new Christian capital. By the late-fifth century post-Cyrilline Jerusalem had lost some of its hold on the Cypriot imagination and other issues - autocephaly, liturgical changes and the rise to prominence of its bishops - coalesced in a greater engagement with the wider Eastern Mediterranean. At about the same time healing
Maguire, Richard
Late Antique basilicas on Cyprus : sources, contexts, histories. It is commonly accepted that Late Antiquity Cyprus emerged from relative isolation to greater engagement with Constantinople. This thesis reverses the paradigm and offers a contextual account of the island's basilicas in support of the proposition. Located between New Rome and New Jerusalem, fourth-century Cyprus occupied a nodal position in the Eastern Mediterranean. Under Epiphanius, bishop of Salamis (r.367-403) it was at the forefront of Nicene-Constantinopolitan faith-forging. In the late fourth and fifth centuries it was also the site of an ambitious building programme which instantiated its affiliations and produced buildings which, in scale and treatment, represented an engagement with Christendom's major monuments. This, arguably, was the period of greatest affiliation between Cyprus and Constantinople, not as centre and satellite, but in a shared recognition that Jerusalem was their new Christian capital. By the late-fifth century post-Cyrilline Jerusalem had lost some of its hold on the Cypriot imagination and other issues - autocephaly, liturgical changes and the rise to prominence of its bishops - coalesced in a greater engagement with the wider Eastern Mediterranean. At about the same time healing
late_antique cyprus source context history commonly accept late antiquity cyprus emerge relative isolation great engagement constantinople paradigm offer contextual account island support proposition located new rome new jerusalem fourth_century cyprus occupy position eastern_mediterranean bishop salamis forefront constantinopolitan faith also site ambitious building programme instantiate affiliation produce building scale treatment represent engagement christendom major monument arguably period great affiliation cyprus constantinople centre satellite share recognition jerusalem new christian capital post jerusalem lose hold cypriot imagination issue liturgical change rise prominence bishop coalesce great engagement wider eastern_mediterranean time heal