Excavation Reports 1949–1951

9.

of it to form their rampart, has laid bare the first floor of the great hall, its window recesses, the lower sections of the triple colonnettes which divided the bays, and some later partitions. The first floor chamber in the adjoining tower was also cleared. This occupied the north-east angle of the Frankish fortress. Here also was found a fireplace and a doorway which led to the great hall. On the east side, the removal of filling on which the later ramparts rested has revealed a series of rooms with fireplaces. These rooms were used as living quarters in the sixteenth century.

In Nicosia, building operations outside of the Paphos Gate have uncovered a rectangular tower and parts of the adjoining curtain walls of a Frankish fortification, believed to be part of the citadel constructed by King Peter II, enclosing the Royal Palace, and the monastary of St. Dominic. Two arches of an aqueduct were found abutting on the north face of the tower. Constructed probably by the Venetians, they carried one of town's water supplies across the bed of the Pedeios.

During the renovation of the ground floor rooms of the Archbishopric at Nicosia, the Department came upon the Gothic arch of an entrance gateway. This gateway led to conventual buildings of the Benedictine Monastery of St. John the Evangelist of Bibi. Over the arch was found a damaged painting of the Annunciation with a dedicatory inscription in Greek dated to 1426.