Struggling for survival in Cyprus

Holy Cross Church in the little village of Karpasha, Cyprus, is an unusual and isolated place of prayer. Situated on the northern part of the island, occupied by Turkish troops since 1974, Karpasha is one of four remaining villages belonging to the Maronites, the largest Catholic community in Cyprus. Their ancestors migrated over from Lebanon and Syria during the Middle Ages and the Maronite culture and religious traditions have maintained a significant presence on the island ever since.
Today however, less that a dozen people live in the once thriving village of Karpasha, while the nearby village of Asomatos counts only one nearly-90-year-old inhabitant. Though fluent Greek speakers, the Maronites still use an ancient Aramaic dialect for their liturgy – a language which could disappear altogether unless some younger people are persuaded to return to these isolated villages.
Among the most passionate defenders of this ancient culture is Dr Petros Katsiodoulis who runs a website called Karpasha.com. He was born and grew up in the village before going abroad to train as a doctor and now works in a hospital in Nicosia. He regularly returns to Karpasha to look after those in need of medical care...Philippa Hitchen met him there:

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