Cyprus hosts three officially recognized Christian minorities alongside the Greek Orthodox majority: Maronites, Armenians, and Latin Catholics. Together these Catholic communities make up approximately 4.75 percent of the population, around 38,000 people. The 1960 Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus officially recognized these groups as religious minorities and reserved a seat in Parliament for each community.
Maronites arrived in successive waves starting from the 8th century and currently number around 5,800 to 13,000 depending on the count. Armenians trace their presence to the 6th century with significant increases after the Armenian Genocide of 1915 to 1923, with current estimates around 3,000 to 4,000.
Latin Catholics developed their community during the Lusignan and Venetian periods from 1192 to 1572 and today number approximately 900 to 7,000. These communities maintain distinct languages, liturgies, and cultural traditions while integrating into broader Cypriot society.
Maronites keep ancient Arabic dialect alive
Maronites first migrated to Cyprus in the 8th century fleeing Islamic conquests and inter Christian rivalries in Syria and Palestine. The community thrived under Latin rule and became the largest Eastern Christian group after the local Greek Orthodox. The Lusignan kings promoted Maronites who guarded the coastal areas of the Crusader kingdom against invasion.
Up to 32,000 Maronites were killed during the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus in 1570, with 8,000 dying at the battle of Famagusta alone. Only 812 remained on the island afterward. Ottoman rule brought harsh treatment including high taxation, accusations of treason, ravaged harvests, and abduction of wives and children into slavery. Fourteen Maronite villages became extinct during three centuries of Ottoman domination as waves escaped back to the Levant or moved westward to Malta.
The community historically spoke Cypriot Maronite Arabic, a variety of Arabic that developed in isolation from standard Arabic. People speaking this dialect originated from one village, Kormakitis, which had a pre-1974 population of 1,500 to 2,000. The Cyprus government officially recognized Cypriot Maronite Arabic as a minority language in November 2008, though most Maronites now speak Greek.
Armenian refugees built new lives after genocide
Armenian presence dates to the 6th century when Byzantines deported thousands to Cyprus, creating one of the first Armenian communities outside historic Armenian lands. During the Crusades when the Lusignan dynasty ruled both Cilicia and Cyprus, Armenian nobles and warriors settled on the island. The fall of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia in 1375 brought its last king Leo V to Cyprus for refuge.
Some 30,000 Armenians left Cilicia in 1403 and settled in Cyprus which continued under Lusignan rule. Armenian was one of eleven official languages of the Kingdom of Cyprus and one of five official languages during Venetian colonial administration. Cyprus welcomed over 10,000 refugees from Cilicia, Smyrna and Constantinople who arrived in Larnaca and other harbors during the Armenian Genocide, with about 1,500 making the island their new home.
Industrious and cultivated, they brought new life and established themselves in arts, letters, sciences, entrepreneurship, and various professions. They introduced new crafts, dishes, and sweets that contributed to Cyprus’s socioeconomic and cultural development. The newcomers established associations, choirs, sports groups, Scout groups, bands, churches, schools, and cemeteries in Nicosia, Larnaca, Limassol, Famagusta, and Amiandos.
The 1974 division scattered minority communities
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 profoundly affected all three minority communities. Four Maronite villages including Kormakitis were stranded in Cyprus on the wrong side of the ceasefire line. The majority of the 6,000 strong Maronite community was displaced and moved south. Kormakitis today is home to about 130 elderly people while most Cypriot Maronites now live in and around Nicosia.
Only about 150 mostly elderly Maronites remained within Cyprus. Armenians lost significant properties including the Magaravank and Ganchvor monasteries, a primary school and church in Nicosia, and several other vital sites. The Armenian Cypriot community lost its medieval cathedral Notre Dame de Tyre in now Turkish-occupied Nicosia.
As a result, Archbishop Makarios III granted them use of the old Ayios Dhometios chapel and helped build a new cathedral in Strovolos called Sourp Asdvadzadzin, officially inaugurated in November 1981. This is the only church in Cyprus built in traditional Armenian style with a central octagonal dome. Latin Catholics also faced displacement from northern areas where some families had lived for generations.
Schools and churches preserve distinct identities
All three communities maintain educational institutions alongside their churches. Armenian schools teach Armenology which includes Armenian history and traditions, ensuring perpetuation of Armenian identity from generation to generation. Currently there are three Armenian churches and primary schools in Cyprus, one of each in Nicosia, Larnaca, and Limassol. These elementary schools are called Nareg in memory of Saint Gregory of Nareg.
The community operated the world renowned Melkonian Educational Institute secondary school in Nicosia until its controversial closure in 2005. For Maronite secondary education, the government pays school fees for students who wish to attend Catholic schools instead of state secondary schools. The Latin community has always been ethnically heterogeneous and almost entirely urban dwellers.
The Latin Church of the Holy Cross in Nicosia has adjusted to the influx of Philippine and Sri Lankan Catholics by providing services in immigrant languages. Each community publishes newspapers and operates radio programs to maintain linguistic and cultural connections.
Liturgical traditions connect to broader Catholic world
The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic sui iuris particular church in full communion with the pope and the rest of the Catholic Church. Maronites belong to the Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Cyprus, currently governed by Archbishop Selim Jean Sfeir. They use the West Syriac Rite and their liturgy incorporates Aramaic, the language Christ spoke. The Maronite Church traces its foundation to Maron, an early 4th century Syriac monk.
The church returned to communion with Rome since 1180 AD. Armenian Cypriots predominantly belong to the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, though a small Armenian Catholic community also exists. The Armenian Prelacy of Cyprus was established by Catholicos Khatchig I in Nicosia in 973 and is the oldest prelacy under the Catholicosate of Cilicia.
There are five Armenian Orthodox churches in Cyprus: two in Nicosia, one each in Larnaca, Limassol, and Famagusta. Latin Catholics follow the Roman rite and fall under the jurisdiction linked to the Custody of the Holy Land. The Latin community consists mostly of immigrants and foreign workers but also includes families with centuries long presence on the island.
Commemorating tragedy builds solidarity
Since 1965, when Cypriot government officials started participating in annual Armenian Genocide functions, Cyprus’s political leaders often serve as keynote speakers. Usually there is a march starting from central Nicosia and ending at the Virgin Mary church in Strovolos where a commemorative event takes place in front of the Armenian Genocide Monument.
Cyprus was the first European country and second worldwide after Uruguay to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide. On 24 April 1975, Resolution 36 was voted unanimously by the House of Representatives. On the level of ordinary people, most Cypriots are aware of the great calamity the Armenian nation suffered and have always been supportive.
Armenian Genocide refugees who remained in Cyprus were in the unique position of escaping from Ottoman Turks while living amicably amongst Turkish Cypriots. The shared experience of displacement and loss in 1974 created additional bonds between Greek Cypriots and Armenian Cypriots who both lost ancestral lands and properties to Turkish occupation.
Why these minorities matter to Cyprus
The three Christian minority communities demonstrate that Cyprus has always been more than just Greek and Turkish. These groups prove that Cypriot identity can encompass multiple languages, liturgies, and cultural traditions within a shared citizenship. The minorities serve as bridges between Cyprus and the broader Mediterranean world, connecting the island to Lebanon, Armenia, and Western Europe through family ties and religious networks.
The survival of these communities through centuries of political upheaval shows remarkable resilience and adaptability. The constitutional protection and parliamentary representation they receive demonstrates Cyprus’s commitment to minority rights and pluralism. Their integration into Cypriot society while maintaining distinct identities offers a model for how diversity can coexist with national unity.
The contributions these communities made to Cypriot culture, from cuisine to crafts to professional services, enriched the island beyond what their small numbers might suggest. For understanding modern Cyprus, these minorities provide essential evidence that the island’s character comes from multiple sources, not just the Greek Orthodox majority and Turkish Cypriot minority.
