Orthodoxy
This branch of Christianity is the island's main denomination. Almost all of the 690,000 Greek Cypriots (57% of the population) belong to the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus. There are also 2,500 Armenians on Cyprus, 90% of whom are Orthodox (Armenian Apostolic Church). Finally, the island is home to some 200,000 immigrants from the Orthodox Churches of Russia, Ukraine, Greece, Romania and Bulgaria.
Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus. It follows the same Byzantine rites and uses the same language (Greek) as all Greek Orthodox churches. However, it was granted autocephaly (independence) by the Patriarch of Constantinople as early as 431, making it one of the oldest Christian churches. Its long history dates back to the conversion to Christianity of some of Cyprus's Jews in the early 1st century. The island is mentioned in the Bible with the evangelizing mission of the apostles Paul and Mark, accompanied by the first bishop of Cyprus, Saint Barnabas, around 46 or 47 A.D., in Salamis and Paphos. Local tradition also has it that Lazarus of Bethany, famous for having been "resurrected" by Christ, was buried in Larnaka. The Church then defended the Byzantine heritage against successive invaders, from the Arabs in 632 to the British in 1878. And it was almost naturally that its leader, Archbishop Makarios III, was elected the first President of the Republic of Cyprus at the time of independence in 1960. In 1974, the Church of Cyprus lost 73% of its patrimony when Turkey invaded the northern part, but it remains one of the main landowners in the southern part. As such, it benefits from "rents" paid by the state in the form of salaries to some of the clergy. And although the constitution does not recognize any official religion, the Orthodox Church continues to play a very influential role in the Republic of Cyprus, particularly in relations with Turkey and in matters of morality.
Differences between Orthodox and Catholics. Orthodoxy is the "right" (orthos) "opinion" (doxa ): the faith most respectful of Christian tradition, as opposed to Catholicism or Protestantism, which have deviated from the original doctrine. For example, the Orthodox follow the decisions of the first Christian ecumenical councils to the letter, recognizing marriage for priests (celibacy is only required for monks and bishops) and banning religious orders. They have also preserved the tradition of celebrating the Eucharist with leavened bread, rather than with unleavened bread (without yeast) as with the Catholics. The Orthodox also worship icons, recognizing their sacred character: these images are considered a manifestation of the holy figures they represent, whereas for Catholics, frescoes, paintings and stained-glass windows in churches are purely illustrative. However, there is only one real theological difference between the two confessions: the Filioque. This Latin term means "and the Son". It concerns the nature of the Holy Spirit. For the early councils, the Holy Spirit "proceeds from God", i.e. God occupies the first place, and is the "source of divinity". With the Filioque, Catholics say that he proceeds "from God and the Son", placing Christ on an equal footing with God. This concept, considered heretical by the Orthodox, was invented around the year 800 by Charlemagne to assert his power over the first capital of Christianity, Constantinople. This was the origin of the rift between the Eastern and Western Churches. The gap gradually widened with the independence of the Pope of Rome (one patriarch among many for the Orthodox) in 1054, followed by the capture of Byzantine territories by the Crusaders, notably Constantinople in 1204 and Cyprus in 1291.
Islam
Cyprus has the highest proportion of Muslims in the European Union: around 25%. It is also the only country to boast one of Islam's great holy sites. Most of the 360,000 or so Muslims in Cyprus are Sunnis, of Turkish origin, who live in the northern part of the island.
This religion has been present in Cyprus since 632. In 611, near Mecca, the prophet Mohammed was revealed. Twenty-one years later, his Arab followers led the first military expedition to Cyprus. A few traces of Muslim burials from this period remain, notably in Paphos. The island was finally conquered in 649. That year, during the capture of Larnaka, one of Mohammed's main companions, Umm Harâm, the Prophet's aunt (or nurse), died. In her honor, a mausoleum was immediately erected near Larnaka's salt lake. Now part of the Hala Sultan tekké complex, it is considered one of Islam's great holy places. At the time, however, the island was only lightly Islamized. From 688, Byzantines and Arabs agreed to jointly administer Cyprus. This unprecedented collaboration between Christians and Muslims lasted for three centuries. But most of the mosques of this period disappeared with the arrival of the Crusaders in 1191. Islam returned in force after the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus in 1571. To repopulate the island, Turkish soldiers were encouraged to stay. Some Latin Catholics and Armenians, hostile to the powerful Greek Orthodox Church, chose to convert to Islam, while Turkish settlers from Anatolia also came to settle on the island until the arrival of the British in 1878. These soldiers, converts and settlers are the ancestors of the Turkish Cypriots. After the Turkish invasion of 1974, the island welcomed new Muslim populations, including some 200,000 Turkish settlers from Anatolia, Bulgaria and the former republics of the southern USSR in the northern part. The southern part, meanwhile, has attracted a few thousand Muslims, mainly from Pakistan and Syria. The relationship with religion varies greatly from one community to another. In the northern part, for example, Turkish Cypriots have little patience with the rigorism of Turkish settlers, who call them to order when they drink alcohol.
The influence of Sufism. Officially, the vast majority of Muslims in Cyprus are Sunni. But there is a small but very influential minority, closer to Shi'ism: the Sufis. Sufism is the esoteric and mystical branch of Islam, renowned for its spirit of tolerance and for its tekkés, places of meditation and discussion where men and women rub shoulders. Its best-known feature is the famous trance of the whirling dervishes of the mevlevis brotherhood. In Nicosia, you can still watch this hypnotic dance, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But this is mostly folklore for tourists. In fact, Sufism in Cyprus is less visible and much more diffuse. Born in Persia, this movement had a profound influence on the Ottoman Empire until the 19th century. Its main movement, Bektashism, was very powerful among the janissaries, the elite corps of the Ottoman army. It became firmly established in Cyprus with the arrival of the first Turkish soldiers in 1571. For example, the mausoleum of Umm Harâm was guarded for two centuries by Bektashi dervishes. Perceived as a threat to the sultans, the janissaries were massacred in 1826 and Bektashism was relegated to the bangs of the Empire, in Albania. But other brotherhoods took over in Cyprus, notably the Naqshbandi. This rather austere movement has recently attracted new followers from all over the world, thanks to a Cypriot, Sheikh Nazim (1922-2014). A native of Larnaka, he was the spiritual leader of the Naqshbandi. Through his messages of love and peace, which were even broadcast on YouTube, he made his residence at Lefka, near Morphou, one of the island's main pilgrimage sites, where thousands of curious Turkish, Arab, American and European converts still gather today. The memory of Sheikh Nazim is also still very much alive among Turkish Cypriots, for according to the old Ottoman tradition, there is no real boundary between Sunnism and Sufism: people go to pray at the mosque on Fridays, but they also go to the tekké to listen to the wise words of the dervishes.
Other religions
From its rich and tumultuous history, Cyprus has inherited small, very diverse religious communities: Arab Catholics, British Buddhists and Anglican Turkish Cypriots.
Catholicism. Predominantly present in the south, Catholics represent less than 1% of the population. They are organized into four main communities. Firstly, there are the Eastern-rite Catholics, mainly the Maronites of Cyprus (around 2,500, with 10% in the northern part), an Arab population from Lebanon who arrived on the island in the 6th century. Although they recognize the authority of the Pope, like the Orthodox they retain certain old traditions, such as the marriage of priests. The Latins of Cyprus number only around a thousand. Roman Catholics, they are the descendants of both medieval French settlers and 19th-century Austrian merchants. The most numerous Catholics are Filipinos (around 15,000). Also Roman Catholic, they are mainly women who arrived in the 1980s to work as domestic servants for wealthy Cypriot families. Finally, the fourth community is made up of expatriates (around 5,000), including both Italian investors and Argentinian peacekeepers.
Protestantism. Divided into a multitude of churches, this branch of Christianity accounts for around 2% of the population. It is mainly represented by the large British community (100,000-150,000 people) living in the Territory of the Sovereign Zones of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, as well as in the northern part, but especially in the southern part. Among them, Anglicans make up the largest group (between 15 and 20%). There are also around 500 Anglican Turkish Cypriots whose ancestors were converted during the British period.
Buddhism. Numbering around 25,000, followers of this religion/philosophy are slightly more numerous than Catholics. The majority are Sri Lankan and Indian immigrants who arrived in the southern part of the island in the 1970s, with the addition of Cypriot and British converts. Since 2005, they have had the Great Cloud Monastery in Nicosia at their disposal, as well as various centers throughout the island, such as the "English hippie" village of Karmi in the north.
Judaism. There are around 3,500 Jews, half of whom are Israelis living in Cyprus. Opened in 2005, the country's only synagogue is in Larnaka. Since 2016, with the support of Israel's Jewish religious authorities, Jewish educational centers have been set up in Nicosia, Limassol and Agia Napa.
Sikhism and Hinduism. Originally from the Indian subcontinent (India, Nepal...), these two religions are present almost exclusively in the southern part of Cyprus. There are around 500 Sikhs in Cyprus, organized as a community with their own clergy, and two gurdwaras (temples and meeting places) in Nicosia and Larnaka. Often confused with Buddhists, the Hindus of Cyprus also have a temple in Larnaka.
