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On the northern side of the reception area lies the large rectangular Room 2 of the Museum where various objects of the byzantine
and post-byzantine world are to be found. They cover the period from early Christian times (4th century A.D.) to the middle of the
present century.
The early Christian collection contains mainly bronze objects, such as oil-lamps, various kinds of crosses, censers, multiple suspended oil-lamps and lamp-stands. Of special interest is a human palm holding a globe with a cross on top (picture 16). Similar kinds of hands were attached in the middle of proto-byzantine suspended oil-lamps. In the same category belongs a bronze standard or procession fan (picture 17). It consists of a flattened ring with a dented external ring enclosing a christogram in the form of a cross with the Greek letter P. Among the censers we can distinguish a silver six-sided little bowl. Externally its sides are decorated with relief and carved busts of young Christ and the Virgin each flanked by two angels (pictures 18, 19). A group of early Christian ceramics from North Africa completes the whole collection. They consist of red-varnished lamps and plates decorated with impressed christograms and representations such as the sacrifice of Abraham, Daniel in the well of lions, etc. |
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Especially rich is the section with silver gilt objects. A variety of eclesiastical ritualistic vessels is on show such as holy drinking-cups, monstrances, small trays, lamps, special censers, chrismals, reliquaries, brooches, crosiers, ciboria, multiple candles, bowls for holy water, censers and covers of gospels which come not only from Cyprus but also from parts of Asia Minor (Smyrna, Cappadocia, Constantinople) and even from distant Russia. |
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