The Twin Churches

After the fall of Acre in 1291, both the Templars and the Hospitallers moved their headquarters to Cyprus, where they already held extensive property. Relations between the orders were marked by rivalry. While the Hospitallers expanded their influence from 1306/07 and settled on Rhodes, the Templars faced an existential crisis. They were accused of heresy, which led to the dissolution of the order and the execution of many members in the Paris trial of 1309. In Cyprus, numerous Templars were also arrested in 1308, and their possessions fell to the Hospitallers. The northern, larger church, dedicated to Saint Anthony, dates from the late 13th or early 14th century and was the Templars' church. It is a single-nave building with an apse and ribbed vaults. The southern, smaller but taller church of the Hospitallers was built a few decades later and more closely resembles a tower.

The Twin Churches are located in Famagusta, in the Gazimağusa district of Northern Cyprus, at an elevation of approximately 7 meters above sea level.

Visitors can explore the Twin Churches today. The northern Templar church is a single-nave structure with a hemispherical apse and ribbed vaults resting on delicate pyramidal consoles. Narrow windows and a large round window illuminate the empty interior. A stone staircase on the south side leads to the roof, which features a small 16th-century bell tower. The Hospitaller church is significantly smaller but taller, with a single nave and a large semicircular apse. Lancet windows above three portals light the interior, and the main portal on the west side displays a frieze of coats of arms. High up on the corners of both churches, holders for the staves of the order's flags can be seen.

• Franciscan Church (Sacred Building), approx. 0.1 km away
• Palazzo del Provveditore (Residence), approx. 0.1 km away
• St. Peter and Paul Church (Sacred Building), approx. 0.2 km away
• Nestorian Church (Sacred Building), approx. 0.2 km away