The Cathedral of St. John the Theologian is the main church of the

Church of Cyprus The Church of Cyprus ( el, Ἐκκλησία τῆς Κύπρου, translit=Ekklisia tis Kyprou; tr, Kıbrıs Kilisesi) is one of the autocephalous Greek Orthodox churches that together with other Eastern Orthodox churches form the communio ...

. It is located in

Nicosia Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...

, the capital city of Cyprus. The church was built in the fourteenth century at the site of

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

Abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

of St. John the Theologian that had been founded by the House of Lusignan. First reference about the church appears in historical sources starting from the eleventh century.Никосия. Главный кафедральный собор.
Вестник Кипра. Due to frequent

Mamluk Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...

invasions Benedictines left the island in 1426, and the monastery was passed over to the Orthodox. However, the monastery retained its dedication to St. John the Theologian.Welcome to Whatson-Northcyprus A Guide for Residents and Visitors St John’s Cathedral (Agios Ioannis) Nicosia, South Cyprus
/ref> Archbishop Nikiphoros reconstructed the church in the seventeenth century. He used part of the remaining basement for the reconstruction. A marble slab was installed above the western entrance to the church. The slab has a date, 30 April 1662, indicating when reconstruction of the church was started. Although the precise date of the end of reconstruction is unclear but it is assumed that reconstruction was finished between 1662 and 1674.Ο ΚΑΘΕΔΡΙΚΟΣ ΝΑΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΟΥ
/ref> After the reconstruction, the church became the residence of the Archbishop of Cyprus in 1720. The enthronements of Archbishops of Cyprus are held there.

References

{{coord, 35.172, 33.367 Cathedrals in Cyprus Eastern Orthodox church buildings in Cyprus Churches in Nicosia