Medieval Architecture by Nicola Coldstream

During the reign of the Franks, a lot of castles were built on our island such as Kolossi, Kantara, Buffavento, St. If castles are important for the European Gothic, in Cyprus it is much more difficult to study the defensive structures. It is not surprising, therefore, that researchers find parallels between the temples in the Loire Valley, where the Lusignan family came from, and the cathedral of St. Of course, the new rulers brought their ideas to the island, including the popular architectural trend of their homeland - the Gothic style. Guy de Lusignan became first the king of Jerusalem (in 1186), and after the loss of the 'holy city', he became the king of Cyprus. Sofia in Nicosia ( source )Īs you may know, Cyprus became in 1192 the possession of the house of the Lusignans, a noble family from Poitiers, who took an active part in the Crusades. So, the Gothic style began to gain popularity from the middle of the XII century, and already at the beginning of the XIII century it came to Cyprus in the form of a project for the Cathedral of St.

The Basilica of Saint-Denis, of course, bears little resemblance to the Gothic cathedrals of later times, which are rich in small details, but it looks more like the Gothic of Cyprus. It is believed that the Gothic era in European architecture begins in the second quarter of the 12th century, when Suger (or Sugerius), the abbot of the Monastery of Saint-Denis, rebuilt the main temple of his monastery in an unprecedented style.īasilique-cathédrale de Saint-Denis ( source ) Today we will tell you about the most popular Cypriot buildings in this amazing style. Gothic elements can be easily discerned on buildings all over the island, and even where you would not expect to find any historical monument at all. Gothic can be found on the island of Cyprus as well.ĭespite the fact that not so many buildings in this style have survived to our time, and those that have survived may not seem very impressive, the Gothic style of Cyprus is still a unique example of medieval art. France, England, Germany and Austria are famous for this architecture style.īut, Gothic architecture survived not only in these countries.

In order to admire the Gothic buildings, we usually travel to Western Europe.

Medieval Architecture by Nicola Coldstream