Archangelos, Çiftlick near Nicosia

Joseph Vermeiren was a geologist from Belgium married to the Greek Cypriot Agni Markides. He came to Cyprus to work at the copper mines and he was an amateur artist. He held several of his own exhibitions on the island and participated in many others. This unfinished picture of Archangelos monastery portrays its dilapidated state in the 1960's and before its renovation. Shacks and earthen ovens served locals as habitats amongst the ruins. Washing lines in the foreground and a number of tall palm trees orientalize the scene. The scene contains the medieval, the oriental and the local realities of the land. Beautiful ochre colours remind the viewer of the summer heat of Cyprus and contrast with the blue skies. The earthen ovens were a man made mud brick construction in the shape of a bee hive featuring a small opening at the front. Inside, wood was burnt down to coal at which stage the food was placed and cooked slowly for many hours. This traditional method still exists in Cyprus, albeit in its folkloric form, and considered a ‘chic’ addition to the houses of middle class dwellers in urban areas.