The Monastery of St. Barnabas and his tomb

Finding this ancient monastery shouldn’t be too difficult. It is near the Royal Tombs and you will see its twin domes from the Famagusta to Salamis to road.
Barnabas was originally named as Sosis, Joese or Joseph and was the first saint of Cyprus. 
He along with St Paul brought Christianity to Cyprus.

The Monastery wasn’t built by him, but built above his tomb and named in his honour sometime in the fifth century. It is a major monument to the Orthodox church and many pilgrimages are made here. Inside the monestary you will find icons depicting his fascinating life, and ultimately tragic death. Some of the icons in the monastary are over a thousand years old. Barnabus himself appears on many old Coins.

His tomb was discovered by archbishop Anthemios through a vision he believed was caused by Barnabas himself in 477AD. The monastery was built using funds from the Byzantine emperor. You can travel down to the mausoleum and see the red tomb surrounded by religious pictures and icons.

The monastery is open to the public, and a large number of its rooms are part of the archaeology museum.
There is a small café in the calming gardens where you can take a break.
(open daily 8am to 5pm and until 7pm in the summer months).
 

Many thanks to Omer Yagiz for the picture. Click here to visit his site >
Click here for more ideas for days out in Famagusta >

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