ABSTRACT
This chapter explores evolving gender relations, through the study of spaces of religious worship, within the historical core of the Cypriot city of Limassol. It identifies three main types of religious spaces. Two of these are associated with the Orthodox Church of Cyprus which has long been the dominant religion on the island. These two are distinguished primarily according to scale, the first being large, grandiose churches for public events, and the second comprising tiny churches and chapels typically set within the urban fabric, which are used more by women. The third is a type that has only recently emerged within the city, as a result of migration from South and Southeast Asia. Migrant groups are characterised by a varied range of denominations and religions and have appropriated a range of existing buildings including retail units, for worship. The ways in which these different spaces have been inhabited by women as manifest by the research is indicative of broader changes regarding the role of women in economic life within a patriarchal society in transition within an increasingly multicultural setting.
