Collection: Cyprus Post, Republic of Cyprus & Library of Cyprus University of Technology – Digital Heritage
Text source: Cyprus Post, Republic of Cyprus and Κυπριακά Ταχυδρομεία, Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία, “St. Nicholas Cathedral, Famagusta, 50th Anniversary of British Rule, Republic of Cyprus,” Αψίδα, accessed April 26, 2024, https://apsida.cut.ac.cy/items/show/12093.
Media: image
This is a postage stamp for the 50th Anniversary of British Rule in 1928 representing the Cathedral of St. Nicholas. The Cathedral of St. Nicholas recalls the wealth and greatness of Famagusta where the Lusignan Kings after 1291 A.D. were crowned Kings of Jerusalem. Built in the 14th century in magnificent Gothic style it was a subtle but beautifully adapted imitation of the Cathedral in Reims. It was converted into a mosque after the invading forces of the Turkish general Lala Mustapha Pasha captured the walled city in 1571 A.D. At first re-named Ayia Sophia it is today named after the conquering general. King James, the last Lusignan King of Cyprus, was buried here. His epitaph reads ” To Jacques de Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, Cyprus and Armenia be praise unstinted for his noble deeds and his triumphs over the enemy. (excerpta Cypria p. 78)
