Saint Synesios is the patron saint of the town of Rizokarpaso (Dipkarpaz) in Cyprus, to whom the main church of the community, located in the central square of the village, is dedicated. This church is one of the Orthodox churches that have been operating continuously since 1974 in the occupied territories, without being desecrated or converted into a mosque, due to the stay of priest Zacharias Georgiou in the community and the Greek Cypriots trapped there.
The church dates back to the 12th century AD and is characterized as one of the most important ecclesiastical monuments of historical value in the community. It is built next to the cave that Bishop Synesios of Karpasia asceticized within and sanctified. The cave is still remembered in the oral memories of the community's residents as the "Cave of Saint Synesios".
The church dates back to the 12th century AD and is characterized as one of the most important ecclesiastical monuments of historical value in the community. It is built next to the cave that Bishop Synesios of Karpasia asceticized within and sanctified. The cave is still remembered in the oral memories of the community's residents as the "Cave of Saint Synesios".
Beyond the local oral tradition, information about the life of the Saint is provided by the chronicler Leontios Machairas, who notes him as the second Bishop of Karpasia in his "Chronicle", where he lists them in order: "Philon, Synesios and Sosicrates bishop of Karpasia", in paragraph 30, without specifying precisely the date in which he lived, as well as by the historian Florios Voustronios.
In the same context, the monk Akakios of Karpasia, in 1733, wrote the life of Synesios, noting the Saint's actions in confronting heresies. Akakios dedicated his manuscript to the Church of the Holy Trinity of Rizokarpaso in honor of the five saints of Karpaso: Philon, Synesios, Thyrsos, Photini and Sozomenos. This manuscript was published in its entirety in 1948 by the Society for Cypriot Studies at the expense of the Sacred Monastery of Apostole Andrew.
The original church is the eastern part of the current church and had dimensions of 9 x 9 m. This includes the central and northern apses of the church, which are semicircular both internally and externally, while the southern apse was demolished around the beginning of the 20th century in order to build the bell tower.
The current form of the church is an extension that was made during the reign of Archbishop Sophronios of Cyprus, in the 19th century, and consists of two adjacent, inscribed cruciform churches with a dome. The dome of the original church is cylindrical and has four windows, at the four points of the horizon and is supported by the arches of the cross, which are semi-cylindrical. Noteworthy are the four pillars that support the arches and the dome in the center of the church. On the north and south walls of the church, blind arches are outlined; the same architectural motif with the arches is also found in the seaside Church of Saint Philon, in the parish of Agia Triada. At the same time, the arches are decorated with blind arches, like the arches of the Church of Saint Philon.
In the same context, the monk Akakios of Karpasia, in 1733, wrote the life of Synesios, noting the Saint's actions in confronting heresies. Akakios dedicated his manuscript to the Church of the Holy Trinity of Rizokarpaso in honor of the five saints of Karpaso: Philon, Synesios, Thyrsos, Photini and Sozomenos. This manuscript was published in its entirety in 1948 by the Society for Cypriot Studies at the expense of the Sacred Monastery of Apostole Andrew.
The original church is the eastern part of the current church and had dimensions of 9 x 9 m. This includes the central and northern apses of the church, which are semicircular both internally and externally, while the southern apse was demolished around the beginning of the 20th century in order to build the bell tower.
The current form of the church is an extension that was made during the reign of Archbishop Sophronios of Cyprus, in the 19th century, and consists of two adjacent, inscribed cruciform churches with a dome. The dome of the original church is cylindrical and has four windows, at the four points of the horizon and is supported by the arches of the cross, which are semi-cylindrical. Noteworthy are the four pillars that support the arches and the dome in the center of the church. On the north and south walls of the church, blind arches are outlined; the same architectural motif with the arches is also found in the seaside Church of Saint Philon, in the parish of Agia Triada. At the same time, the arches are decorated with blind arches, like the arches of the Church of Saint Philon.
The original church dates back to around the 12th century AD and the newer additions, demolition of the western wall, creation of a new door, creation of a new window around the end of the 19th century. It is possible that at the same period the original stonework was covered externally with whitewash. No frescoes have survived inside the church, while the iconostasis and the icons of the church were constructed in more recent times.
After the Turkish invasion of 1974, the church was restored by the Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage and was handed over to the faithful on November 28, 2022. The project was implemented with the financial assistance of the Church of Cyprus and the European Commission. In the same context, with the actions of the Rizokarpaso resident and president of the Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage, Dr. Sotou Ktori, the Church of the Archangels in Rizokarpaso was recently restored, while procedures were initiated for the restoration of other churches of the occupied community.
The memory of Saint Synesios is celebrated on May 26, but before the exodus of a large part of the local population, the great festival of Saint Synesios was celebrated in Rizokarpaso during the week of Easter known as Bright Week, where crowds of people would arrive en masse in the community to venerate the Saint and do their shopping.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
After the Turkish invasion of 1974, the church was restored by the Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage and was handed over to the faithful on November 28, 2022. The project was implemented with the financial assistance of the Church of Cyprus and the European Commission. In the same context, with the actions of the Rizokarpaso resident and president of the Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage, Dr. Sotou Ktori, the Church of the Archangels in Rizokarpaso was recently restored, while procedures were initiated for the restoration of other churches of the occupied community.
The memory of Saint Synesios is celebrated on May 26, but before the exodus of a large part of the local population, the great festival of Saint Synesios was celebrated in Rizokarpaso during the week of Easter known as Bright Week, where crowds of people would arrive en masse in the community to venerate the Saint and do their shopping.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
