Patriki
Encyclopedia
Patriki is a village in the Famagusta District
of Cyprus
, located on the Karpas Peninsula.
Patriki is the ancestral home of singer George Michael
(Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou). His father, Kyriacos Panayiotou, was born here in 1935 and lived in the village working with family until 1953 when he left for England
.
The village has been under Turkish occupation since the 1974 invasion. The village used to be inhabited by Greek-Cypriots. In his book Historic Cyprus (second edition 1947) Rupert Gunnis
(who was Inspector of Antiquities on the island at the time) wrote:
"The principal church of the village dedicated to the Archangel Michael is without interest. Near by lies a small Chapel of St. George, with a few fragments of early woodwork built into the miserable iconostasis
, which is otherwise formed of boards from packing-cases. The poor and late seventeenth-century holy doorsfrom some destroyed church are kept in a coffee-shop.
"One of the most curious local customs still remaining in the island is practised every Easter Monday
i this village; all the married persons gather into the churchyard, and the men, without taking off their coats, have to crawl through a hole in a large stone which stands here. If the man is unable to crawl through this stone it means that his wife is unfaithful to him, for it shows that he has antlers which prevent him from passing through. In 1935 only one man stuck, and he, on his return home, beat his wife and has since started divorce proceedings, the fact that he was unable to pass through the stone being considered by him and his co-villagers as ample evidence."
Famagusta District
Famagusta District is one of the six districts of Cyprus. Its main town is the island's most important port, Famagusta. The city of Famagusta is currently controlled by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus ....
of Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, located on the Karpas Peninsula.
Patriki is the ancestral home of singer George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
(Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou). His father, Kyriacos Panayiotou, was born here in 1935 and lived in the village working with family until 1953 when he left for England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The village has been under Turkish occupation since the 1974 invasion. The village used to be inhabited by Greek-Cypriots. In his book Historic Cyprus (second edition 1947) Rupert Gunnis
Rupert Gunnis
Rupert Forbes Gunnis was an English collector and historian of British sculpture. He is best known for his Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851, which "revolutionized the study of British sculpture, providing the foundation for all later studies on the subject".-Life:Born in Cadogan Square,...
(who was Inspector of Antiquities on the island at the time) wrote:
"The principal church of the village dedicated to the Archangel Michael is without interest. Near by lies a small Chapel of St. George, with a few fragments of early woodwork built into the miserable iconostasis
Iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church...
, which is otherwise formed of boards from packing-cases. The poor and late seventeenth-century holy doorsfrom some destroyed church are kept in a coffee-shop.
"One of the most curious local customs still remaining in the island is practised every Easter Monday
Easter Monday
Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox cultures...
i this village; all the married persons gather into the churchyard, and the men, without taking off their coats, have to crawl through a hole in a large stone which stands here. If the man is unable to crawl through this stone it means that his wife is unfaithful to him, for it shows that he has antlers which prevent him from passing through. In 1935 only one man stuck, and he, on his return home, beat his wife and has since started divorce proceedings, the fact that he was unable to pass through the stone being considered by him and his co-villagers as ample evidence."