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The Armenians in Cyprus are ethnic Armenians living in Cyprus. Armenians have had a presence in Cyprus since the Kingdom of Cilicia established itself on the Anatolian coast north of Cyprus around 1078 AD. The Kingdom, formed from Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion to the north, remaining an ally with Byzantium, including Cyprus. Relations between Cilicia and Cyprus remained strong through the Crusader period, peaking when Leo II of Armenia married into the Lusignans of the Crusader Kingdom of Cyprus.
While small numbers of Armenians moved to Cyprus and other Mediterranean islands while Armenia and most of Southeast Europe was under Ottoman Rule, the majority of Armenians in Cyprus immigrated there following the Armenian Genocide in the 1915-23 period.[1]. Armenians still maintain a presence of about 2000 in Cyprus, mostly centered in Nicosia, but also with communities in Limassol and Larnaca. Armenian Schools can be found in each of these cities, and Cyprus also contains six Armenian churches, four in Nicosia and one each in Limassol and Larnaca. There are also three abandoned Armenian Churches in Northern Cyprus, currently inaccessible by Armenian communities who fled the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, including the ancient Sourp Magar Monastery[2]. The traditional Armenian quarter part of medieval Nicosia has been left abandoned since 1974[3].
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