The earliest available record of the presence of an active Maronite community on the island of Cyprus dates from the early twelfth century.
A handwritten note in Syriac, on a Syriac manuscript in the Vatican library (Syriac Manuscript Vat. Syr. 118 f° 262 r ) cited in Leroy (1964, p. 235) translates into English as follows (translation by G. Hourani here):
“I, the humble Sim’aan, monk by name, wrote these lines in this book, before our Blessed Father Butrus, Patriarch of the Maronites, who resides in the Monastery of Our Lady in Mayfuq in the valley of Ilij in the land of Batrun when he gave me the power to preside over the Monastery of Saint John Kuzband in the island of Cyprus during the epoch of the monks who were living in the Monastery of Saint John. The following are their names: Dawud, monk; Musa, priest; Yusuf, monk and cook; Girgis, monk; and Daniyal, monk. These are priests and serve the Lord. The year 1432 of the Greek, the 12th of June. Glory be to God, Amen.”
Year 1432 of the Greeks corresponds to 1121/1122 AD. The monastery of Saint John Kusband is near today’s Kotsovitsi (Kûzbandû in Turkish, see blue circled area in map) in the mountains near Nicosia.
Source: Leroy, J. Les Manuscrits Syriaques A peintures Conservés dans les Bibliothèques D’Europe et d’Orient (Paris, 1964)
Maronitica 