Kanakaria Church, Boltasli, Cyprus

Situated on the edge of Boltasli village, the church of Panaya Kanakaria dates back to the early Byzantine period. There is, however, virtually no trace of the original church. What we can see today is from the late 5th century onwards. The church is cruciform in shape, having been originally built as a colonnaded basilica. It was largely destroyed during the Arab raids of the 700s, and rebuilt. Further restoration was required after an earthquake in 1169, when it took its form as a multi-domed church. The porch was added around 1400, at the same time as the roof was strengthened. The central drummed cupola dates to the 1700s. and was probably added at the same time as a monastery was opened.

The apse, which is part of the original church, was adorned with mosaics, believed to have been made around 550, and considered to be some of the most important surviving pieces of early Christian artwork, having escaped the almost total destruction of religious images during the Byzantine Iconoclastic period from 726 to 843 AD. They consisted of the Virgin and Child, Saint James and Saint Andrew, and an Archangel.

Some time after 1979, these mosaics were looted and found their way to America via Munich, along with some other stolen works of art. In a famous court case, they wereretrieved and returned to Cyprus, where they are now on display in the Byzantine museum in south Nicosia. Outside the church, above the porch, there is a fresco of the Virgin Mary, dating to 1779.

The church is usually locked, but the key is held locally, and the church is occasionally open. However, even from the outside it is worth a visit.

References:

Whatson-Northcyprus

User Reviews

Jesús D (8 months ago)
This well preserved church located in an overgrown lot with wind-blown banging boarded windows resembles a movie setting for a suspense film. Above the south door under the porch, there's a partially damaged icon of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Christ. There's a oil press outside near the porch. The interior of the church is locked for its preservation. There's an information board that provides the history of the place in Turkish and English. Near the western door there are fragments of Corinthian columns. The place is not development for tourism; therefore there are no restrooms or any other facilities. It's rugged authenticity is its main attraction.

Danijela Pećanac (2 years ago)
It was very cold and windy, but beautiful. Too bad because I couldn't see the inside od monastery, but I visited it in the off-season.

Soula Hadjistylli (3 years ago)
Panagia Kanakaria was built around 500 as an early Christian basilica and served as the church building of an early Byzantine settlement. This first building was a three-aisled, adobe basilica with a narthex, vestibule at the entrance on the west side and three niches on the east side. The niche mosaic was created in 530. In the mid-7th century, the building was destroyed, possibly by Muslim pirates. After a few decades, the church was rebuilt around 700, but now it used masonry pillars instead of columns for support. This second building survived the Iconoclasm of the 8th and 9th centuries without vandalism, but was destroyed by an earthquake around 1160 and only the niche remains. The building was rebuilt as a church with a dome: the nave, the narthex and the holy platform got a dome, two of them with a drum. The niche with its mosaics has now been incorporated into the new church, similar to Panagia tis Kyra in Livadia and Panagia Aggeloktistis in Kiti. A monastery was probably built around the church around this time. However, the existing monastery probably dates from the 18th century. Inside the church are preserved frescoes from the 12th, 14th and 16th centuries. The south aisle was remodeled in the 13th century and an open portico was added in front of the entrance. The central dome collapsed in 1491 due to another earthquake and was rebuilt around 1500, and the walls were embellished with many new frescoes, of which almost nothing can be seen today. Only the fresco of Panagia Kanakaria in the blind arch above the southern entrance is preserved. The bell tower was added in 1888. The church and its mosaics were restored in 1973. After the expulsion of the Greek Cypriots as a result of the Turkish invasion of 1974, the church was closed due to lack of use.

Andrew Bartram (3 years ago)
Creepy with the shutters banging in the wind but a beautiful building, easy to access. Shame we couldn’t explore it further.

Arzu Kemal (3 years ago)
The grass is not cut so it was difficult to walk through however it didn't stop us from walking around to get a better look, at the time we went it was closed and therefore we couldn't get inside. It's worth going to look at it you're a lover of history.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Infomastern

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Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

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