The Department of Antiquities of Paphos, under the leadership of Afanasios Papageorgiu, excavated the church from 1971 until 1989. It turned out that this church was one of the largest early Christian basilicas in Cyprus and was the first episcopal church of Paphos from the end of the 4th century to its destruction in the 7th century. It was erected on the periphery of the Roman city center, north-west of the eastern Roman city gates and south of the Hellenistic part of the city. Earlier Roman buildings were used in the construction of the basilica. Basically, they brought material from a nearby theater, which was not used at that time. During the first Arab raids, some destruction of the basilica occurred, and by the end of the 7th century it was turned into a mosque. Muslims' building activity is marked with inscriptions in Arabic, preserved on the columns of the central nave. These are appeals to Allah for fallen Muslim warriors. These columns survived in spite of the complete destruction of the building during the earthquake of 685 AD. After the final destruction and oblivion of this huge early Christian complex, it was turned into a quarry, where they prepared building material for reuse in the construction of secular structures. Furnaces were built for the disposal of marble architectural fragments in lime. Only after the crusading conquest of the island, the church was revived again. Translated with Google Translate
A spontaneous walk through the city told the legends of ancient churches and the history of the Jewish mother, who became the patron saint of the ancient Roman catacombs. Also, the city’s biggest mole was beautifully decorated for Christmas, there was a very beautiful ceramic workshop and the revelation that the most delicious meat dish on the island is connected with theft. It was wonderful adventure! Translated with Google Translate
