AGIOS MAMAS MONASTERY

This Greek Orthodox monastery (Aziz Mamas Manastırı, Μονή Άγιος Μάμας/Moni Agios Mamas) was built in the ^16th century on the ruins of three older churches. Home to the - empty - tomb of Saint Mames of Caesarea, since 2004 the church has housed an "icon museum" featuring sacred images from various churches in the region. It is reopened for worship every August 17 for the feast of Saint Mammès. Remodeled in the ^18th century, the complex comprises two arcaded wings. The church itself is quite modest (19 m long), and retains elements of a ^12th-century church. However, the main features date from the ^16th century, notably the two rows of Gothic arches. In the porch, note the carved representation of Saint Mammès next to the main door. The dome was added in the ^18th century and the bell tower in 1900. The interior retains its rich decoration: superb ^16th-century iconostasis, chandeliers, etc.

Sarcophagus and altarpiece. The most sacred part is a white marble sarcophagus: the tomb in which Saint Mammès was buried in 275. This ^3rd-century Christian martyr is particularly venerated in Cyprus. He died aged 15-17 in Caesarea (Kayseri, central Turkey), and according to local legend, lived as a hermit in a cave near Morphou when he was arrested and fled on the back of a lion. This is how he is depicted in Cypriot iconography. His relics, once kept here, were transferred to Constantinople, where they were pillaged by the Crusaders in 1204, and his skull was brought back to Langres, in Haute-Marne. Built into the wall in the ^16th century, the sarcophagus is visible from both inside and outside. Although empty, it continues to attract devotees: a hole in the sarcophagus oozes a brownish liquid that is said to ensure healing. Nearby ex-voto offerings (wax dolls, metal plates, etc.) attest to the supposed powers of this "sacred oil". The sarcophagus is surmounted by a richly carved wooden altarpiece dating from the early ^16th century. The lower level features three icons: that of Saint Mammès and, on either side, those of the warrior saints Demetrios of Thessalonica and George of Lydda. On the second level, 38 vignettes retrace the martyrdom of Mammas: repeatedly put to death, he is saved each time by an angel, until a Roman soldier cuts open his belly. The sequence ends with the saint holding his intestines and asking God to protect man, beast and plant.