5 CYP #139

Front

Head of Aphrodite from a 1st century BCE marble sculpture discovered at Soli archaeological site in Cyprus. Aphrodite, ancient Greek goddess of love and beauty, was particularly venerated in Cyprus where legend placed her birth from sea foam at Paphos. The marble head is one of the most celebrated archaeological finds from Cyprus and has become an iconic symbol of Cypriot cultural heritage. The note features the coat of arms of Cyprus (dove over olive branches) and bilingual inscriptions in Greek and Turkish.

Back

Panagia Angeloktisti ("Built by Angels") Church in Kiti village near Larnaca, an 11th-century Byzantine church built over the ruins of an earlier 6th-century basilica. The church is renowned for its exceptionally well-preserved 6th-century mosaic of the Virgin Mary and Child in the apse, one of the finest examples of early Byzantine mosaic art in Cyprus. The building features characteristic Byzantine domes and a later-added Latin bell tower, reflecting Cyprus's complex religious and cultural history.

History

This note belongs to the 1997 series of Cyprus pounds issued by the Central Bank of Cyprus, the final series before Cyprus adopted the euro on 1 January 2008. The Cyprus pound (divided into 100 cents) had been the island's currency since 1879 under British rule, continuing after independence in 1960. This series featured archaeological and architectural heritage of Cyprus, emphasizing the island's ancient Greek cultural connections and its Byzantine Christian legacy. The bilingual Greek-Turkish inscriptions reflected the Republic of Cyprus's constitutional recognition of both communities, though the series was issued during the post-1974 division. All Cyprus pound notes were exchangeable until 31 December 2009 and demonetized on 31 January 2010.