Twenty Burials Discovered During Excavations at the Carmelite Church in Kato Polemidia

The Department of Antiquities has announced the completion of the second season of excavations at the 13th-century Panagia Karmiotissa Church in Kato Polemidia, Cyprus.

This year, continuing from the 2023 excavations, archaeologists explored several 13th-century layers, focusing on the northern terraces and the apse, which provides access to the chapels behind the main altar. Beneath these, they discovered a limestone floor with signs suggesting a possible ancient water distribution system.

Moreover, twenty buried bodies were found within a pit behind the apse, which have now been carefully exhumed. At least five distinct burial phases were identified, one of which included the construction of a stairway, indicating the potential existence of an underground structure.

In the upper layers, a variety of wall painting fragments were uncovered, featuring letters and intricate clothing patterns.

Historical sources indicate that this site was first established by the Carmelites in Cyprus in the 13th century. However, architectural records suggest that the current church structure was likely built in the 14th century.

This project is the result of a three-year collaboration between the Eratosthenes Center of Excellence and the CNRS Mediterranean Medieval and Modern Archaeology Laboratory.