Greek gothic

This is the ruined medieval cathedral of St. George of the Greeks located in the old Greek quarter of the crusader city of Famagusta (modern Northern Cyprus). This large Orthodox Church was constructed for the Greek population of the city in the mid 14th century and was intended to rival in magnificence the nearby catholic cathedral of St. Nicholas constructed some 30 years earlier [link] . Famagusta was a multicultural city where Greek, Nestorian, Jacobite/Syrian, Armenian and Catholic bishops were tolerated. In its peak, it was one of the richest cities in the Mediterranean serving as a commercial hub between, Egypt, Armenia, the Mongol empire and India/China with Western Europe. Architecturally this cathedral was a unique structure, predominantly gothic with rib-vault ceiling, windows and portals with pointed arches, tracery and flying buttresses (you can see the one remaining flying buttress on the right) but also with Byzantine dome similar to that in St. Sofia (this collapsed during an earthquake in the 17th or 18th century). The cathedral was damaged during the Ottoman siege of Famagusta in 1571 and you can still see some Ottoman cannon balls embedded in its walls. On the interior, some medieval sculpture and frescoes still survive, including the depictions of St. George, scenes from the life of St. Mary, Eastern patriarchs and many more. Unprotected, Byzantine and gothic art is destroyed by sun, rains, pigeons and vandalism each year. Four years ago, when I visited this place for the first time much more was visible than it is now. Without international funding and intervention, who knows if anything more than bare walls will survive the next decade…