To the south of Guzelyurt Museum is the St. Mamas Monastery. Islam, the religion of the north, has left this beautiful building in extensive disrepair but the icons within the dim-lit church are still as breathtaking as ever. Oh, and St. Mamas - you will never guess who comes to him for help....
So. Who is St. Mamas? To my utter amusement, he is the beloved protector of tax evaders. In the 12th century, a poor Cypriot hermit named Mamas refused to pay his taxes and was arrested for capital punishment. Along his way to his doom, Mamas' party came upon a lamb being stalked by a lion - Mamas saved the lamb and rode the wild lion into the capital. The Byzantine authorities were quite taken with the entrance but still attempted to deliver their punishment - putting Mamas in a den of wild beasts, throwing him into a fiery furnace...pretty much all biblical stories thrown into one. At long last...Mamas was beheaded. And now he is the saint of tax evaders. Wonderful story.
Built in the 18th century, this Monastery is one of fourteen churches in Cyprus dedicated to St. Mamas. It is believed that this particular church is built over the tomb of St. Mamas...although excavation has shown the foundation to be a combination of early Gothic and Byzantine ruins.
The stunning, wood-carved iconostasis dates to the sixteenth century. A sarcophagus off to the side oozes a special balm that has curing powers for eye and ear disease, as well as the calming of stormy seas.
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| The church overlooking the sculpture garden of Guzelyurt Museum |
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| The mosque across the garden from the church |
