Networks of Contact in the Architecture of the Latin East: The Carmelite Church in Famagusta, Cyprus and the Cathedral of Rhodes

Author: Olympios, Michalis

Source: Journal of the British Archaeological Association, Volume 162, 2009 , pp. 29-66(38)

Publisher: Maney Publishing

Included in the following Connect Compilations:

Virtual Maney - Archaeology

Buy & download fulltext article:

The full text is free.

View now:

PDF 901.6kb

Abstract:

One of the most intriguing problems in the study of Gothic architecture in the Latin East concerns the network of interrelationships between the major architectural centres in the eastern Mediterranean, especially the Crusader states of the Levant, the kingdom of Cyprus and Hospitaller Rhodes. Although scholars have been aware of the artistic links between these areas for decades, the Cyprus-Rhodes connection remains to this day largely unexplored, despite the obvious interest it presents for the development of ecclesiastical architecture in the region. This article examines the architecture of the Carmelite church in Famagusta and its formal affinities with Rhodes cathedral, in order to identify the conditions and modes of transmission of architectural designs from Cyprus to Rhodes in the second quarter of the 14th century. It will also attempt to demonstrate that the same basic design had been employed for two buildings of radically different status and function, in a reflection of the circumstances, financial or ideological, surrounding their creation.

Articles that cite this article?

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/006812809x12448232842330

Publication date: 2009-10-01

More about this publication?