St. Nicholas Cathedral

Codrington spent much time in Cyprus and travelled all over the island. His brushes and palette were employed to glorify the light and the colours of the landscape and to record most of the important monuments. The Latin Cathedral of St Nicholas (Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque) was known in early 20th century as Küçük Ayasofya (small St. Sophia). Quite often, it was erroneously noted in travelogues and prints as St. Marks Cathedral by western visitors. It took the name Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque on 14th August 1954. The minaret that appears in the watercolour was added in 1571 before being hit by lighting and replaced in 1930. In front of the mosque, the artist depicts the seven hundred year old ficus sycomorus, locally known as cümbez tree. It produced a fruit that resembled the mandarin and the fig and was known as the ‘fig of the Pharaohs’. A number of shacks appear in front of the cathedral. These were cleared away in the 1930’s and 40’s. In the background, the dome of the Turkish school is visible. There is little doubt that the figures seen wandering in the square in front of the mosque are Turks. Although the dark pantaloons and the fez marked the attire of the Greeks in the 19th century, by the early 20th century, these were also adopted by the Turks. The inclusion of the figures helped highlight the scale of the monument depicted in the painting.