Apostle Paul’s Pillar

The Apostle Paul’s Pillar is one of the cultural attractions that the visitor of the Paphos province in Cyprus will encounter outside Panagia Chrysopolitsa in the center of Kato Paphos.

A cylindrical stone column, the Apostle Paul’s Pillar, is the point where, according to tradition, the saint was whipped 39 times before the Roman ruler, Sergios Paul, was initiated into Christianity. Apostle Paul, along with Apostle Barnabas, visited Cyprus in 45 AD in order to initiate the Roman proconsul in Christianity. His efforts yielded fruit, but he was arrested, tied and whipped at this stone column. However, with the conversion of the Roman governor, Cyprus became the first country in the world to be ruled by a Christian leader.

The feast of the saint on June 29 is particularly important for the Metropolis of Paphos, during which the Metropolitan’ holds his speech, while the evening is followed by the litany of the icon of the Apostles Barnabas and Paul, accompanied by the Philharmonic of the Police and the military battalion that pays its respect. That day, the area is overwhelmed by the faithful who worship at the Apostle Paul’s Pillar.