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Selected and rare materials, excerpts and observations from ancient, medieval and contemporary authors, travelers and researchers about Cyprus.
 
 
 
 
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CLAUDE DELAVAL COBHAM
Exerpta Cypria
page 71

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monastery of S. Nicolas, at which bread and wine and a lodging are offered to all passhig strangers for the glory of God. From Salines to Nimesson is a distance of fifty miles. The same day we dined at Nimesson under the sharie of nine olives and five fig trees : we supped there as well, and the beds were hung np as I have related above. Sunday, June 23, Vigil of S. John Baptist, I celebrated mass and communicated my companions in the Latin cathedral chnrch dedicated to our Lady : there Avere four priests, a Franciscan who said the High Mass, another a Jacobin [Dominican] and two secular priests, with one clerk and two snrpliced acolytes; they use the Roman rite. The other churches are Greek. Nimesson has several fine churches which were ruined long ago. Also a castle on the seashore, destroyed, bnt it is still habitable and bas a commandant, and fosses without water. One sees in the neighbourhood several fine buildings as though they had been before their ruin the palaces of princes. In one of these are arms in the windows blazoned thus, a pallet between two flenrs de lys, and in another thus, a cross, which we take to be the arms of the late Duke of Savoy who was once king of Cyprus. AH round is great abundance of cotton. Monday, June 24, tho fenst of S. John Baptist, a fair was held at Nymesson. There came many horsemen and tilted at the ring on the seashore ; they were the deftest tilters I over saw-, and had horses like the Turks, very well trained. An Albanian gained the prize. After this they had a fencing-bout, with all kinds of sticks, for prizes, in the presence of the magnates of the town. In this country they leave their wheat in heaps in the fields, and do not thresh it, but they make a fair place on which they arrange the sheaves, and then they have a fine harrow all set with sharp flints; on this they stand and drive about the horse, ass or mule; it cuts up the straw small, and that they give chiefly to their cattle. Between the tasks of day and night they leave them loose in the fields. AVherever one digs in this city one finds sweet water, even on the shore, at two lance-lengths from the sea, which is a wonderful thing. The same day at evening we went on board our ship to go to Jaffa and the wind was fair. G. AFFAGART. Gremii Affagart, Seigneur de Courteilles, a gentleman of Maine, visited Cyprus in August, 1584, on his return from a pilgrimage to the Holy Places. His diary was published in Échos de Notre-Dame de France. I translate from pago 09 of Να 61, March 15,1901, Paris, θνα The whole Relation de Terre Sainte has now been edited by M. Chavanon, 8vo, Paris, 1902. On the seventh day of August, after laying in a little stock of eatables, we went on board a Venetian vessel to go to Cyprns. From Tripoli to Cyprus is about 150 miles; we stayed at that town nine days, and at last arrived at the port of Salines, where there arc only a few poor houses to store merchandise, aud near thein a large church all in ruins, founded by S. Lazarus. The island of Cyprus is under the lordship of the Venetians, although the common people are Greek Christians; on this account in each town there are two kinds of churches, for service in Greek and in Latin, and also two bishops, one for the Latins and one for the Greeks. There is another port called Famagusta which is almost impregnable, where dwelt Ihe father of Madame S. Catherine, and there she was first imprisoned, and her prison is still shown. 66 EXCERPTA CYPRIA.

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