Lazarus of Bethany is one of the most recognized figures in the Bible, and yet most people only know one thing about him: Jesus raised him from the dead. What comes after that is a story that stretches across centuries and continents, and a large part of it takes place on Cyprus.
According to Eastern Orthodox tradition, Lazarus did not simply disappear after his resurrection. He fled to the island, became a bishop, lived there for 30 years, and was buried in Larnaca. Today, the city still carries his memory in one of the oldest and most visited churches on the island.
Historical Background
The Gospel of John tells us that Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha, and that all three were close friends of Jesus. When Lazarus fell ill and died, Jesus arrived four days later and brought him back to life. The event was witnessed by a large number of people, and it caused a stir. The chief priests in Jerusalem saw Lazarus as a direct threat to their authority, because his resurrection was convincing more Jews to believe in Jesus. They planned to kill him.
According to Eastern Orthodox tradition, Lazarus and his siblings fled Judea to avoid this danger. The Western tradition tells a different version of events, where the three were placed in a boat without sails or oars and drifted to the coast of Provence in France. The Eastern tradition, however, places Lazarus on Cyprus. He arrived at the city of Kition, which is present-day Larnaca, and settled there. When the Apostles Paul and Barnabas visited Cyprus, they ordained him as the first Bishop of Kition. This made Lazarus one of the earliest bishops in all of Christianity.
What Tradition Says About His Years on Cyprus
Orthodox sources say that Lazarus lived in Larnaca for about 30 years after his resurrection before he died a second time. One tradition puts his age at death at around 60. During those years, he served as bishop and helped spread Christianity on the island. Cyprus was already an important stop for early Christian missionaries, and Lazarus played a role in establishing the faith there.
One tradition says that the Virgin Mary herself visited Lazarus on Cyprus, accompanied by John the Evangelist. According to this account, she brought him his bishop’s vestments, which she had woven with her own hands. Another tradition holds that Lazarus invited the Virgin Mary to the island, and that a storm blew her ship off course to Mount Athos in Greece before she eventually reached Cyprus. Whether or not these stories are historically accurate, they tell us how central Lazarus was to the early Christian identity of the island.
Facts That Stand Out
Several details about Lazarus and his connection to Larnaca are worth noting. After his death, Lazarus was buried in Larnaca, but the exact location of his tomb was lost during the period of Arab rule, which began in 649 AD. It was not until 890 that a marble sarcophagus was found bearing the inscription: “Lazarus, four days dead, friend of Christ.”
In 898, the Byzantine Emperor Leo VI had the remains transferred to Constantinople. In return, he ordered the construction of a church over the tomb site. That church still stands today. After the Fourth Crusade sacked Constantinople in 1204, the relics were taken to Marseille, where they were eventually lost. However, in November 1972, during renovation work at the church in Larnaca, a marble sarcophagus was discovered under the altar containing human remains. These were identified as part of the saint’s relics, which means not everything had been moved to Constantinople after all. In 2012, the Church of Cyprus gave a portion of these relics to the Russian Orthodox Church, and they were brought to a monastery in Moscow.
One unusual detail recorded in Orthodox sources is that Lazarus reportedly never smiled during his 30 years on Cyprus, troubled by what he had seen of the afterlife during his four days in the tomb. There is only one recorded exception: he once saw a man stealing a clay pot and smiled, saying, “the clay steals the clay.”
The Church and What It Holds
The Church of Saint Lazarus was built by Emperor Leo VI in the late 9th century, directly over the site where the tomb was found. It is one of only three surviving Byzantine churches on the island. The building measures 31.5 by 14.5 metres and is constructed from limestone blocks about one metre thick. Originally it had three domes, but these were destroyed in the early years of Ottoman rule after 1571, when the church was converted into a mosque. In 1589, the Ottomans sold it back to the Orthodox Church, and for the next two centuries it served both Orthodox and Catholic congregations. The porch still carries traces of inscriptions in Greek, Latin, and French from that period.
The most striking feature inside the church is the iconostasis, a carved wooden screen that separates the nave from the sanctuary. It was carved between 1773 and 1782 by a craftsman named Chatzisavvas Taliadorou, and was covered in gold between 1793 and 1797. It remains one of the finest examples of baroque woodcarving in Cyprus. The bell tower was rebuilt in 1857 in a Latinate style, after Ottoman authorities allowed Cypriot churches to have bell towers again.
Lazarus and the Salt Lake
One of the more unusual legends tied to Saint Lazarus concerns the Larnaca Salt Lake, a network of four lakes just outside the city. According to one version of the story, Lazarus once asked an old woman for food and water. She refused him. In response, he cursed her vineyard, and it turned into the salt lake that exists today. A competing tradition says that Lazarus actually created the salt lakes as a gift to the city, so that the people would never be without salt. In reality, the lake is salt because of the way seawater seeps through porous rock between the lake and the sea, but the legend reflects just how tied Lazarus remains to the identity of Larnaca.
Lazarus Saturday and the Living Tradition
Every year, eight days before Orthodox Easter, Larnaca holds a procession in honor of Saint Lazarus. The icon of the saint is carried through the streets of the city, accompanied by priests, dignitaries, and thousands of residents. This tradition is unique to Larnaca and has continued for centuries.
In older versions of the custom, a young boy was chosen to play the role of Lazarus. He would be laid on a flower-covered rug, decorated with wreaths of daisies and poppies, and when the gospel was read aloud, he would stand up to represent the resurrection. The people would then sprinkle him with rose petals and distribute kolyva, which is boiled wheat, a food associated with remembrance of the dead in Orthodox tradition.
A Visit Worth Making
The Church of Saint Lazarus is free to enter and open year round. It sits in its own square in the center of Larnaca, making it easy to find. The Byzantine Museum, located right next to the church, holds religious icons, relics, and artifacts connected to the saint and to the history of the area. Both can be visited in a single morning.
The church is within walking distance of the Larnaca seafront and the Salt Lake is a short drive away. If the visit coincides with Lazarus Saturday, the procession is an event worth staying for.
Why Lazarus Still Matters to Cyprus
Lazarus is not just a biblical figure for Larnaca. He is the reason the city exists as a center of Orthodox Christian identity. The word “Larnaca” itself comes from the Greek word for tomb. The city was named after him.
His story connects Cyprus to the Holy Land, to Constantinople, and to the broader history of early Christianity in the eastern Mediterranean. The church built over his tomb has survived earthquakes, Ottoman rule, fires, and centuries of change. It is still standing, and still visited, because the story of the man who died twice is one that Cyprus has never forgotten.
