This was once a very rich and important trading city state though little remains of the original township. Under Lusignan rule the Karpaz region was probably the island’s richest barony, and the remaining ruins of 12th C churches are evidence of this. Carpasia became the seat of the Bishop, and it was Archbishop Epiphanios of Salamis who ordained Philon as the first Bishop of Carpasia, hence the church being dedicated to him. The ancient city was destroyed by the Arab raiders in 802 AD. Ayios Philon is situated on the low cliff immediately above the ancient Roman harbour and was built on the site of an earlier Byzantine period basilica of which some original mosaic and <em>opus sectile</em> floors remain. This was once a very rich and important trading city state though little remains of the original township. Under Lusignan rule the Karpaz region was probably the island’s richest barony, and the remaining ruins of 12th C churches are evidence of this. Carpasia became the seat of the Bishop, and it was Archbishop Epiphanios of Salamis who ordained Philon as the first Bishop of Carpasia, hence the church being dedicated to him. The ancient city was destroyed by the Arab raiders in 802 AD. Ayios Philon is situated on the low cliff immediately above the ancient Roman harbour and was built on the site of an earlier Byzantine period basilica of which some original mosaic and opus sectile floors remain.
