Description: There was a time seven centuries ago when Famagusta's wealth and renown could be compared to that of Venice or Constantinople. The Cathedral of St Nicholas in the main square of Famagusta, serving as the coronation place for the Crusader Kings of Jerusalem after the fall of Acre in 1291, symbolised both the sophistication and permanence of the French society that built it. The essays here represent a major contribution to the study of Medieval and Renaissance Famagusta and its surviving art and architecture and also propose a series of strategies for preserving the city's heritage in the future. They will be of particular interest to students and scholars of Gothic, Byzantine and Renaissance art and architecture, and to those of the Crusades and the Latin East, as well as the Military Orders.
Review Quotes: 'a necessary and long-awaited effort aimed not only to analyze and understand the unique historical and monumental heritage of the city but also to draw attention to its art and architecture, which are in desperate and urgent need of conservation and restoration. ... the editors must be commended for their job, as all the essays ... are clear, compelling, and erudite, de facto forming a seminal study on a city that boasted a multi-cultural and 'multi-confessional society'' Speculum '... this book is a fantastic study of a city that has been largely overlooked by the historical community... a passionate testament to the editors who love their subject.' Comitatus '... this volume brings to light much new work and highlights Famagusta's many possibilities still to be explored.' Renaissance Quarterly