Agios Philon Church, Karpasia

Agios Philon Church, Karpasia

The church of Agios Philon/Ayfilon in Karpasia/Karpaz was built in the 12th century, on top of a much earlier, possibly 5th century, Christian basilica. The monument, which is now in ruinous condition, is a typical domed Byzantine church, with a three-part apse and a courtyard surrounded by columns.

The masonry of the church comprises of local bioclastic coarse grained ashlar limestones with the following characteristics:

• Apparent Density (EN 1936): 1570-1730 kg/m³
• Open Porosity (EN 1936): 34-41%
• Compressive Strength (EN 1926): 3.5-8.0 MPa

The aforementioned tests for the characterization of the monument's stones were carried out in 2018, in the framework of a combined laboratory and in situ investigation that was conducted to determine the physico-mechanical and mineralogical characteristics of the building materials of the Agios Philon/Ayfilon Church in Karpasia/Karpaz. Sampling and testing was assigned to the Building Materials and LEDRA Laboratories of the University of Cyprus by the United Nations Development Programme – Partnership for the Future, which is funded by the European Union.

University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs & The Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ΕΤΕΚ)

University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs & The Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ΕΤΕΚ)

University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs

University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs

Photos taken by Ioannis Ioannou, University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs