In 1298, at a time when the importance of Famagusta had increased considerably as a result of the influx of Christians of wealth and importance from Acre, it was decided that the city deserved a magnificent Latin cathedral. The edifice was consecrated in 1326. It is a complete example of Gothic architecture of the early fourteenth century, owing to its lack of any of the subsequent modifications usual in comparable Continental cathedrals. The side chapels are the only additions to the original design. In many respects the plan resembles that of St Sophia in Nicosia, the main difference being that the gallery of circulation around the upper parts of the church, instead of being internal as in St Sophia, follows an external passage at the level of the buttresses. The western face, and indeed the whole structure, is more imposing than that of its counterpart in Nicosia. It has been provided with a single minaret, of no great prominence.
As in the case of St Sophia, the church's conversion to Muslim use entailed the removal of all ornaments and church furnishings, especially those bearing any representation of the human figure. Some tomb slabs in the north aisle have escaped destruction. Frescoes have been covered with whitewash, stained glass has been shattered and the altars demolished. But one compensation is that the architectural conception can now be viewed as a dignified whole, without clutter. Much damage was done to the structure by Turkish bombardment in 1571, and by earthquake in 1735.
The west front is the greatest glory of the cathedral. This has three shallow doorways of four orders surmounted by gabled canopies. It is interesting to remember that the balcony above these doors was used until 1372 for coronation ceremonies. In fact, it was here that the Lusignan kings of Cyprus, who had already been crowned in Nicosia, came for their second coronation as Kings of Jerusalem, a celebration which attracted great pomp and public notice but which conferred nothing more than a token sovereignty. At that time the piazza in front was larger than it is now, and held huge crowds. The great rose window of six lights in the west front has been compared to the more ornate west window of Lichfield Cathedral, and the twin towers to those of Rheims.
One of the most interesting features of the cathedral precincts is the Parvis or square where the coronation crowds assembled. This had the reputation of being the largest in Europe. It is now bounded on the south by a Loggia in the Venetian style, which is thought to have been used as an open-air grammar school attached .to the cathedral. A wide central doorway of four orders is flanked by circular windows surmounted by coats of arms sculptured in marble - probably those of the builder. Under the twin windows, forming marble seating, there is a fragmentary sculptured frieze, believed to have once been part of the cornice of a Roman temple. The subject, animals chasing each other through a spiral of foliage, is most attractive. The vaulted hall of this open-air building, which appears at one time to have had a second storey, now houses a fountain used for Muslim ablutions.
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