During the early fourteenth century Cyprus had a reputation as a cornucopia. The island enjoyed great wealth, strong trade with Europe, an abundance of goods and festivities and a generally good life. St Birgitta of Sweden objected to this, seeing the luxury as accompanied by lax morals, an easy life and blurred religiousness.
While visiting Cyprus in 1372 on her journey to the Holy Land, she cursed the Cypriots of Famagusta. In her Revelations, God speaks to Birgitta and says:
This city is Gomorrah, burning with the fire of luxury and excess and desire. Therefore, its buildings will collapse and it will be deserted and ruined and its inhabitants will depart, groan in grief and tribulation and disappear and its overthrow will be spoken of in many lands, because I am angered with them.
Following this, in 1373 Genoa attacked Famagusta and pillaged the city, taking centuries of which to recover from.
St Birgitta remained in history as the Medieval Cassandra of Cyprus.
© Costas and Rita Severis Foundation
