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Menology by Neophytus Enkleistus

Background and Biography
Background and Biography

Excerpts
English from Ambraseys (2009)

Not long after [the earthquake in Cyprus], a certain monk came to me from Antioch the Great, saying that a strange and terrifying earthquake had happened in that city: he said that not only was the earth severely shaken, but that it had groaned and cloven asunder and that the stones had been thrown down into a chasm. When the earth had come back together, the stones which were found around the akrocheila had flown up to the summit as if someone had thrown them there. And not only did walls and most of the houses collapse, but also the great church, as a result of which the patriarch was killed together with a great multitude of the people. (Neoph. 11/133v/211).

English from Guidoboni and Comastri (2005)

Then [after the Paphos earthquake of c. 1165], a short time later, a monk of the great city of Antioch came to see me, and told me that there had been a tremendous earthquake in that city; not only, he said, was the earth violently shaken, but it also made a roaring noise and was split open, and stones were thrown down as though into an abyss. As the earth joined together again, stones which were on the upper edges were hurled upwards as though they had been thrown by a ballista. Not only did the town walls and a large proportion of houses collapse, but also the great church, killing the patriarch and a great many other people.

English from Analecta Bollandiana (1907)

The island of Cyprus has often been affected by the great seismic movements of the Mediterranean countries. Yet Neophyte cites only one case, and he dates it from the beginning of his seclusion, that is to say around the year 1160. That night seven shocks were felt; fourteen churches collapsed in the vicinity of Paphos alone, and among them the great Church of the Virgin Aiweviwtiooa. Neophyte speaks of a second contemporary earthquake, of which he became aware shortly after the preceding catastrophe; it is that of Antioch. It was extremely violent. The walls and most of the houses were knocked down, as well as the great church, where the patriarch and a numerous people were killed.

French from Analecta Bollandiana (1907)

L’ile de Chypre a été souvent éprouvée par les grands mouvements sismiques des pays méditerranéens. Pourtant Néophyte n’en cite quwun seul cas, et il le date des commencements de sa réclusion, c’est-a-dire des environs de ’année 1160. Cette nuit-la sept secousses furent ressenties; quatorze églises s’écroulérent dans les seuls envi- rons de Paphos, et parmi elles la grande église de la Vierge Aiweviwtiooa. Néophyte parle d’un second tremblement de terre contemporain, dont il eut connaissance peu apreés la catastrophe pré- cédente ; c’est celui d’Antioche2. Il fut d’une violence extréme. Les murs et la plupart des maisons furent renversés, ainsi que la grande église, ot le patriarche et un peuple nombreux trouveérent la mort.
Footnotes

2 Probablement celui de 1170. ROHMRICHT, Geschichte des Konigreichs Jerusalem (Innsbruck, 1898), p. 348.

French from Analecta Bollandiana (1907) - embedded



Chronology
  • after 1165 CE.
Seismic Effects
  • a strange and terrifying earthquake had happened in that city [Antioch]: he said that not only was the earth severely shaken, but that it had groaned and cloven asunder and that the stones had been thrown down into a chasm. When the earth had come back together, the stones which were found around the akrocheila had flown up to the summit as if someone had thrown them there
  • not only did walls and most of the houses collapse [in Antioch], but also the great church, as a result of which the patriarch was killed together with a great multitude of the people.
Locations
  • Antioch
Online Versions and Further Reading
References

Notes
Comments by Ambraseys (2009) and Guidoboni and Comastri (2005)

Ambraseys (2009) stated the following

The contemporary hermit St Neophytus of Paphos was visited by a monk from Antioch, who told him that the earth opened, which indicates faulting. His account also implies that, when the earth closed up again, the stones in the erstwhile crack were hurled up to a great height. This suggests that the crack was closed by a strong aftershock. The same source says that 'a great multitude of people' were killed, which is probably an exaggeration in view of Michael the Syrian's number of 50.
Guidoboni and Comastri (2005) stated the following
The earthquake is recorded [...] in one contemporary Greek source, namely the work of Neophytus Enkleistus, a Cypriot saint and hagiographer.