Spatial Analysis of Cultural Agglomeration in a Monastery in Cyprus: A Non-Choronological Reading Prior to The Conservation Process

Abstract

The research presents the spatial analysis of the Acheiropitos Monasteryin Kyrenia of Cyprus to analyze the processes of historical agglomerationthrough time. The analytical survey drawings are used for elucidatingthe accumulations and layers on the buildings. This paper problematizesvarious conservation methodologies, which erase traces of differentperiods due to the a-priori categorisation of the architectural elementsvia their historical, cultural and aesthetic values rather than their valueas a whole. Along this path, the main argument of the paper is developedalong the axis of discussion regarding the difference between twosynonymous terms explaining the meaning of agglomeration,accumulating and layering. These two terms are used for different casesparticularly to be able to present the differences in historicalagglomeration processes. In this context, the difference between the terms accumulation and layering is emphasized not only as a crucialpoint in explaining the nuances in the process of agglomeration but alsoas the main motive behind developing a case-specific conservationstrategy. After a basic description of the monastery, the surfaces ofbuildings are analyzed for understanding the mechanisms ofaccumulation and layering. The paper claims that the way of analyzingthe historical spaces may also determine the method of conservation. Inother words, defining the traces and explaining the agglomerationprocess in historical contexts determine the conservation method thateither classifies the cultural objects or otherwise.