Salamis

History: Salamis

Salamis was an ancient Greek city on the east coast of Cyprus, at the mouth of the Pedieos river, about six kilometres north of modern Famagusta. The Acts of the Apostles makes it the first stop of Paul and Barnabas on the journey often called the first missionary journey: sailing from Seleucia, they landed at Salamis and proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues (Acts 13:4–5).

Tradition holds that Barnabas, who was born in Cyprus, was later stoned to death at Salamis, and he is honoured as the founder of the Church of Cyprus; his remains are believed to lie at the nearby monastery that bears his name. Earthquakes ruined the city in the early fourth century. It was rebuilt as Constantia under the emperor Constantius II and became a bishop's seat, whose best-known bishop was Saint Epiphanius. The excavated site includes a Roman gymnasium and a theatre.

An interesting detail

The theatre of Salamis, built in the time of Augustus, could hold up to 15,000 spectators.