 The date cited for the laying of the foundation stone is 1209, and the Latin archbishop of Nicosia responsible for this is named in various sources as Thierry or Albert.There are claims of evidence indicating an earlier beginning date, and even the Knights Templar may have made some effort for the construction of a new cathedral during their rule in 1191-92.Under the early years of the reign of Archbishop Eustorge de Montaigu (reigned between 1217 and 1250), the construction is thought to have accelerated.