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The Armenians came to Cyprus from the southern coast of Turkey before the French Lusignans arrived in 1192. Like other non-Latin or non-Orthodox Christians, they settled in the Syrian quarter of the city, so named because that was where the Carmelites from Syria were based.
The Armenian church was probably built in the 14th century by Armenian refugees. It is quite small, with just one aisle and a cylindrical apse. The roof is in the shape of a cruciform, and the apse covered with a semi-dome. There is some evidence that a second chapel was added to the north east, but this has not survived.
Outside the church, on the walls you can see a number of crosses in different styles, no doubt carved by pilgrims as a declaration of faith. They are quite small, perhaps only 6 inches square, so you will have to look closely for them. Outside the southern door, you can also see traces of a medieval sun dial.
The church can be found close to the Martinengo Bastion, and is marked on some maps as being inside a restricted military area. This is not correct, and has not been for some time, although the barbed wire and 'no photography' signs are still in place.
References:The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.
The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.
The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.