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

Church of Cyprus The Church of Cyprus () is one of the autocephalous Greek Orthodox churches that together with other Eastern Orthodox churches form the communion of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is one of the oldest Eastern Orthodox autocephalous churches; ...

. It is located in

Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...

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

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

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 Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

of St. John the Theologian that had been founded by the

House of Lusignan The House of Lusignan ( ; ) was a royal house of France, French origin, which at various times ruled several principalities in Europe and the Levant, including the kingdoms of Kingdom of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Kingdom of Cyprus, Cyprus, and Kingd ...

. 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 or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...

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, display=title Cathedrals in Cyprus Eastern Orthodox church buildings in Cyprus Churches in Nicosia