Cyprus - Religion The Orthodox Church of Cyprus is extremely powerful and until the Turkish invasion of 1974 was the biggest landowner. It still owns large tracts of land today, much of it prime seafront plots devoted to agriculture. Its foundation is attributed directly to Sts Barnabas, Paul and Mark in AD 45. The church makes a significant contribution to the historical, cultural and social life of Cyprus. The overwhelming majority of Cypriots - around 78 per cent - belong to the Orthodox Church and many Cypriots attend on church on Sunday mornings and religious holidays, although church-going is on the decline among young people. Other religions in Cyprus include Muslim 18 per cent,  Maronite, Armenian Apostolic and `other' (4 per cent in total) . There are churches of many denominations on the island - Anglican, Roman Catholic,  Coptic,  Russian orthodox,  for example - but there are no synagogues, Buddhist or Hindu temples. You can attend a Greek Orthodox service if you wish; the services are all in Greek.