Kingdom of Cyprus to take Cyprus back. King Richard took them up on the offer and the Templars returned to Syria, retaining but a few holdings on the island. A small minority Roman Catholic population of the island was mainly confined to some coastal cities, such as Famagusta, as well as inland Nicosia, the traditional capital. Roman Catholics kept the reins of power and control, while the Orthodox inhabitants lived in the countryside; this was much the same as the arrangement in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The independent Eastern Orthodox Church of Cyprus, with its own archbishop and subject to no patriarch, was
Grand Lodge of Cyprus jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Turkey at the northern part of the island. While the Grand Lodge of Turkey and the Grand Lodge of Cyprus are not in mutual recognition, the United Grand Lodge of England is in amity with both grand lodges, permitting intervisitation and plural membership. Freemasonry in Cyprus may be traced back well into the Ottoman era over 200 years ago. Historical records place freemasons in the Larnaca district, where at that time all consulates were located. Coastal Larnaca was then considered the capital, and is a main port of the island. This is documented by