The Roman Governor of Cyprus, Sergius Paulus, demanded Paul meet with him. He was curious about this new religion. When Paul arrived in the governor’s court, he immediately sensed the presence of evil in Elymas, a Jewish magician who was the governor’s official astrologer. Elymas began to berate Paul but Paul stared him down until (legend tells us) the magician “crumpled like paper.” Paul told Elymas he’d be temporarily blind due to his raging at Paul. “Immediately a dark mist fell upon him.” The governor was immediately converted, the first Roman ruler to do so. Thus Christianity took root in Cyprus.

From then on, Paul was no longer called Saul, and in further accounts his name is always mentioned first in his journeys with Barnabas. Barnabas eventually returned to Cyprus and was murdered there. The Cypriot Orthodox Church maintains his tomb.

Some scholars claim that it was in Paphos that Paul endured one of his beatings, recorded in Scripture, when he was tied to a pillar and whipped. I was taken to that pillar on the site of Roman ruins. It’s identified by a plaque beneath it. Surprisingly, in this primarily Orthodox country, a Roman Catholic church is located a mere 300 metres behind St. Paul’s Pillar. It’s officially the Latin Catholic Church of Paphos, belonging to the patriarchate of Jerusalem.

That edifice has survived many centuries of religious and political upheaval. Over the years, Cyprus has been invaded by various countries. A magnificent Christian basilica was built near the pillar in the fourth century only to be destroyed by the Arab invasion in 653. Later a small Byzantine church was built above its ruins. In 1191 England’s King Richard the Lionhearted, on his voyage to the Third Crusade, claimed ownership of Cyprus. Shortly after he sold it to the Knights Templar, then it was sold again to the French knight, Guy de Lusignan. Over the centuries it’s been held by Venetians, Turks, England and Greece. Finally, in the 20th century Cyprus achieved independence. However Turkey, after a surprise attack in the 1970s, claimed 37 per cent of the island, mainly in the north. The larger south and west remained Greek Cypriot.

The modern capital, Nicosia, is a divided city, much like Berlin during the Cold War. However, recent negotiations have made the city more accessible to both groups. The result of this frequent turnover of rulers and jurisdictions is that the predominant religion in the south and west is Cypriot Orthodox Christian, while in the northern Turkish sector it is Muslim.

Meanwhile, there remains this important Roman Catholic presence in Cyprus — the church by St. Paul’s Pillar.

The Venetians built this church around the early 1500s over the ruins of an earlier church destroyed by an earthquake in 1150. When the Ottomans invaded in 1570, this church was spared destruction. Through the kindness of the Orthodox Metropolitan of Paphos, the Catholic community here was entrusted with the care of this church in 1987. Occasionally the Orthodox Church holds some services there, especially on June 29, Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.

This parish is made up mainly of ex-patriates from Britain and other European countries, and plays an active and essential role in the Paphos community. Its major project today is the building of a Western-style hospice.

The first ever of its kind in the Middle Eastern culture, this Hospice of St. Michael will provide palliative care to all people in the area, regardless of nationality or creed. It will be built on parish property, where the parish cemetery and chapel of Sts. Cosmos and Damian is also located. The Sisters of St. Bruno and Bethlehem also have a small convent there. And, typically English, the parish’s pet cemetery is located there.

The Catholic parish at Paphos has an active pastoral care group involved in hospital visiting, a bereavement support group, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson support groups and rosary team. In order to raise funds for the building of the hospice, social events ranging from line dancing to Christmas cake raffles are held. The parish’s monthly newsletter on line (www.paphoscatholic-churches.com) lists several activities including a ukulele band, camera club, bridge, crafts and archeology session.

I am sure St. Paul would have approved — although I don’t know how he’d feel about the pet cemetery.

For more details on Cyprus, contact www.visitcyprus.com .

(Williams is a Contributing Editor to The Catholic Register.)