Cypriots were not always following the religion of Christianity. On the contrary, for many centuries, the first inhabitants of the island believed in the ancient Greek religion, that is, the 12 Olympian Gods. The transition from the Greek religion to Christianity was not easy and the arrival of the new religion in Limassol met with many difficulties and reactions.
The 3 cities of Limassol in ancient Cyprus, Amathus, Curium (see more about the city of Curium here) and Neapolis, accepted the preachers of Christianity during the Byzantine period, after 375 AD. However, the preachers of Christ were faced with a strongly established national worship that could not be easily disputed, especially in Amathus, where the goddess Aphrodite was worshiped and Curium, where the faith towards Apollo was massive. Learn more about Apollo and the sanctuary in Limassol here.
Thus, with great effort, the followers of Christianity, led by Apostle Paul and Apostle Barnabas, transmitted the Christian spirit to these 3 cities until finally the inhabitants abandoned the 12 Gods and turned to Christianity. At that time the first bishops in Limassol were ordained. The first bishop of the ecclesiastical community in Amathus was Aristokleinus and in Curium Philagrios, one of the first Cypriot saints of Cyprus.
Neapolis, during the first 3 centuries, was a small settlement between the 2 great ancient cities of Amathus and Curium. Apostle Paul had sent Tychikos there to spread Christianity, who eventually became the first bishop of Neapolis and a saint of Cyprus.
The arrival and the prevalence of the Orthodox Christian church in Limassol as well as in the rest of the island's cities was undoubtedly the greatest fact that stamped the Byzantine period and the whole history of Cyprus. In fact, at that time, the first monasteries and churches were built, some of which are still preserved.
Information: History of the Church of Cyprus, 2015
* NOTE: The tributes of the Project "History of Limassol" present information that has emerged from historical research thus far. Any new data is embedded into the tributes, once it has been confirmed.
