Kyprianos of Cyprus

Κυπριανός Kyprianos
Archbishop of Cyprus
Church	Orthodox
Installed	1810
Term ended	1821
Predecessor	Chrysanthos
Successor	Ioakim
Personal details
Born	1756 Strovolos
Died	1821 Nicosia

Archbishop Kyprianos of Cyprus ([Αρχιεπίσκοπος Κύπρου Κυπριανός] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)) was the head of the Cypriot Orthodox Church in the early 19th century at the time that the Greek War of Independence broke out.

Kyprianos was born in (the then village of) Strovolos in 1756. He served as a monk in Machairas monastery until 1783 when he left for Wallachia for further theological studies returning to Cyprus in 1802. He became archbishop of Cyprus in 1810. He founded the Pancyprian Gymnasium (originally called the Hellenic School) in 1812 which was the first secondary school on the island and which is still located opposite the archbishopric in Nicosia.

In 1818, Kyprianos was initiated into the Friendly Society (Philiki Etairia) which was preparing the ground for war and liberation from the Ottoman Empire. In 1820, Alexander Ypsilantis contacted the archbishop asking for Cyprus to join in the armed struggle. Kyprianos' reply was pragmatic: He suggested that Cyprus support the upcoming revolution with money and supplies as any armed struggle was bound to end in disaster. Cyprus, being an isolated island far from Greece, had no substantial navy and no tradition of Klepht warfare like other parts of the Greek world.

However, when the Greek War of Independence broke out on March 25, 1821, Cypriots left in large numbers to fight in Greece, while proclamations were distributed in every corner of the island. The local pasha, Küçük Mehmet, reacted with fury, calling in reinforcements, confiscating weapons and arresting several prominent Cypriots. Archbishop Kyprianos was urged (by his friends) to leave the island as the situation worsened but refused to do so. Finally, on July 9, 1821 Küçük Mehmet had the gates to the walled city of Nicosia closed and executed, by beheading or hanging, 470 important Cypriots amongst them Chrysanthos (bishop of Paphos), Meletios (bishop of Kition) and Lavrentios of (bishop of Kyrenia). Archbishop Kyprianos was publicly hanged from a tree opposite the former palace of the Lusignan Kings of Cyprus. The events leading up to his execution were documented in an epic poem written in the Cypriot dialect by Vassilis Michaelides.

Kyprianos was outspoken on the issue of Freemasonry which he condemned.

THE ARCHBISHOP'S FAMILY TREE

Archbishop Kyprianos's family tree extends out to the Zavros Family Tree. Archbishop Kyprianos had a son called Ombashis who headed up the Police Force in Nicosia at the time. He was always found mounted on a Black horse and was a very well respected figure in the Tseri area. His daughter Eleni Ombashis gave birth to 5 children, namely Froso, Christalla, Christos, Giorgos and Andreas. This became known as the Zavros Family. The Zavros family consists of a famous political writer by the name of Christos Zavros, indeed he wrote 'The history of the Cypriot Community in Great Britain. 100 years. (1900–2000).

Froso Zavros married Efthymios Kambouri Psillou who was a successful farmer from the Tseri area. A well respected man from the local community he established the first use of the modern day plough and this can still be seen in the village outside the house of his late son 'Charalambos' or 'Chambis' as he is known to all his family

It is unlikely that a celibate monk had an acknowledged son without it causing a scandal. The Ombashis referred to above (not a name but an office in the Ottoman police) may have been a relative of the Archbishop. The known, verified family of Archbishop Kyprianos are: -George, his father, born in Strovolos. -Mariou, his mother, born at Kampia; and her uncle Charalambos or Charalambis (d. 1806), Abbot of Machaeras Monastery. -HadjiSavvas, his brother, Oeconomos of the Archdiocese and head of the Theseus/Theophanides family from Strovolos. Executed in Sarai square with the Archbishop. The Theseus sons (Kyprianos, Nicholas & Theophanis)were all prominent in the Greek War of Independence and the struggle of Cyprus for freedom from Ottoman domination. -Laurentios, his brother, Protosyngellos of the Archbishopric and head of the HadjiNicholas family from Lapithos. Executed in Sarai square with the Archbishop and his own son HadjiNicholas. -HadjiMariou, his sister married to Yorkis from Kythrea. Her son became Cyril I, Archbishop of Cyprus 1849-1854. -Flourentzou, his sister. -Geroyiannos, his brother.

See also

• New-martyr