We are travelling to the island of Cyprus, where we will visit one of the houses of the Custody of the Holy Land. Located about 420 km from Israel, in a strategic geographical position, Cyprus was for centuries the last outpost for the ancient ships that brought men and goods from Europe to the Middle East. A land that has always been disputed between the populations settled on the nearby coasts of Greece and Turkey, but also between the Venetians and the French, great rulers of the ancient trade routes. In this first episode, we are going to discover how and why the history of the Franciscan presence in this land began. Fr. NARCISO KLIMAS, ofm Professor of Church History and the Custody of the Holy Land “The question is always the same: did Saint Francis stop in Cyprus? Probably yes, because the ships coming from Europe were obliged to refuel. It is plausible that He stopped at that time in the Port of Limassol. Spk1 FriarNarciso explains to us that the first documents that testify to the presence of the friars in Cyprus date back to 1226, when Saint Francis was still alive. Fr. NARCISO KLIMAS, ofm Professor of Church History and the Custody of the Holy Land However, the island of Cyprus acquired even more importance after the defeat of the Crusaders in the Holy Land in 1291, because the provincial from Acre moved to Nicosia, in Cyprus. It is there that we have the presence where it speaks of the four convents in which the friars reside, both Nicosia, Famagusta, Limassol, Pafos and also a convent, even before it is noted in a place near Nicosia, it is called Belloloco. A place that was a splendid monastery, was given precisely for its size, for its beauty to the Cistercians, because someone judged that it was not worthy, for being too luxurious for the friars themselves. When the Cistercians were forced to leave the island, the monastery returned to the Franciscans who decided to use it as the residence of the Provincial. Fr. NARCISO KLIMAS, ofm Professor of Church History and the Custody of the Holy Land Professor of Church History and the Custody of the Holy Land We have a beautiful testimony from 1328 that tells of the decision of the provincial of Cyprus to send two friars every year to visit the Holy Land and manage to obtain permission from the Pope, who was the only religious authority who could grant it. So we could say the presence of the friars in the Holy Land was interrupted by the war, but also uninterrupted because they were able to return for the visit. Around 1420, when the friars had finally managed to settle again in the Holy Land, unfortunately the Mamelukes attacked Cyprus with numerous and devastating raids. It was therefore the convents of the island that experienced a difficult situation and a period of decline began for them. The presence of the friars, however, although reduced, never disappeared, as we know from indirect sources preserved in the archive, such as a letter from a Venetian nobleman who, in 1517, asks for the possibility of offering material help to guarantee the friars a place to live. Fr. NARCISO KLIMAS, ofm Professor of Church History and the Custody of the Holy Land It took several years for the presence of the friars in Cyprus to be noted again. In fact, we have evidence from 1593, this time of the presence and return of the friars to Larnaca and we also have documents from 1618, parish documents which already speak of the activities of the friars, also in terms of pastoral work on the island of Cyprus. So we have this confirmation that the friars returned to the island of Cyprus at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th century. After the establishment of the Congregation of Propaganda Fide, in 1622, a new resident bishop was appointed who was entrusted with the jurisdiction of the island. We are in 1629. His arrival changed the balance and local arrangements and also the autonomy of the friars was limited. This, in the first period, gave rise to frequent disputes. The influence of the French political power caused various problems and obstacles to the pastoral activities of the friars. The frequent disputes that arose convinced the Holy See to intervene and in 1684 the Pope preferred to entrust the administrative-religious jurisdiction in the Middle East to the sole responsibility of the Franciscan custodian father. Fr. NARCISO KLIMAS, ofm Professor of Church History and the Custody of the Holy Land From that moment on, documents show that the friars were permanently involved in education, training, but above all in pastoral care for the entire area. So much so that, when the Turks occupied the island and many Christians converted to Islam for economic reasons, the friars worked to bring them back to unity with the church. A phenomenon of reintegration that in many cases was effective and traceable in the parish registers because, due to the influence of the Turkish language, these people were registered with "code names" such as "Lino Bombacci". The island has undergone many transformations and despite frequent clashes between the local populations, the friars have remained faithful to their mission. Even after 1974, following the conflict between the Turks and the Greeks that led to the division of the territory, their persevering and courageous presence guaranteed the Christians religious and pastoral service. This is what we will see in the next episode visiting the Franciscan places on the island.