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Is the Archbishop of Cyprus a Cypriot National Martyr or Hieromartyr?translated

July 9, 2026 · 1 min read

Written by Bishop Ledras Epiphanios, Professor of the Holy Monastery of Machiras

The Archbishop of Cyprus Kyprianos is nowadays characterized as an ethnic martyr. And I say nowadays, because looking back at the official magazine of the Church in Cyprus "Apostolos Barnabas" from the beginning of its first edition until today, and observing the anniversary speeches at the memorial service of Archbishop Kyprianos, we find that at the beginning she was characterized as a martyr or as a martyr of the Faith and the Fatherland, and as a result of time, she began to be called ethnic martyr.

The characterization of Kyprianos as a "martyr of the faith and the country" was a natural consequence, taking into account that the struggles of the Greeks, and indeed the Revolution of 1821, were fought for the faith of Christ and the freedom of the country. For us Greeks, faith and country coexist and go hand in hand through the centuries. But even more so for the Kyprianos deserves the above description, as he himself, in the Founding Act of the Pancyprian Gymnasium, mentions the saying "he died for faith and fighting for his country", which he put into practice in his life and in his death.

The fact that he ended up…

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Samuel Mitchell

The article makes a good point about how the title shifted over time in “Apostolos Varnavas.” I remember reading that same “die for the faith and fight for the fatherland” line from Cyprian’s founding document when I visited the Pancyprian Gymnasium years ago. It does feel more complete to call him a martyr of both faith and country rather than just “ethnomartyr.

Григорий Михайлов

Yes, I remember that in “Apostle Barnabas” they used to write “martyr of faith and fatherland.” And the phrase “θνήσκε υπέρ πίστεως και μάχου υπέρ πατρίδος” is really his own, he not only wrote it, but lived it. It’s interesting why in recent decades they began to focus only on the “ethnomartyr”.

Александр Богданов

Yes, in “Apostle Barnabas” they actually used to write “martyr of faith and fatherland” more often, this is clearly noted. A phrase from the gymnasium’s Ktirich Charter also stuck in my head after I read about 1821. I wonder if Epiphanius of Lidra himself directly explains somewhere why the emphasis on the “ethnomartyr” has shifted in recent decades?