Kykkos Monastery
The principal monastery in our family route is associated with the tradition of a miraculous icon, repeated fires and a rich museum collection.
Topics
Monasteries of Cyprus
Active monasteries, historic complexes, cave cells and monastic museums reveal the island’s religious history without confusing documented facts with tradition.
Saint Neophytos Monastery
The hermit’s cave, rock-cut cells and frescoes tell the story of one of Cyprus’s best-known medieval writers.
Machairas Monastery
The narrow mountain road, imperial patronage and the icon of Panagia Machairiotissa made this one of the most personal journeys in our family archive.
Saint Herakleidios Monastery
The monastery near ancient Tamassos is associated with a disciple of the apostles Paul and Barnabas.
Saint George Alamanou Monastery
Several traditions explain the monastery’s name, ranging from German monks to the story of Suleiman and the snake.
Timios Prodromos Mesopotamou Monastery
The name “Mesopotamou” reflects the monastery’s position between two rivers in the mountains near Pano Platres.
Panagia Amasgou Monastery
An ancient church with frescoes, restored cells, a hoard of coins and a spring above the Kouris River.
Archangel Michael Monastery at Analiontas
The long stone building beside the road recalls the twentieth-century restoration of an abandoned monastery.
Panagia Trooditissa Monastery
A narrow road leads to a monastery whose history is associated with an icon hidden during the period of Iconoclasm.
The monastery and tomb of the Apostle Barnabas
We visited the complex near Salamis and consider the church, museum and the place associated with the veneration of the Apostle Barnabas together.
Saint John Lampadistis at Kalopanagiotis
We visited the complex at Kalopanagiotis, where the architecture and wall paintings allow several artistic and historical layers to be compared.
The Monastery of Saints Marina and Raphael
Three churches, frescoes and stories of martyrs connect this Cypriot monastery with Antioch and the island of Lesbos.
Saint Kendeas Monastery near the ceasefire line
One of the most atmospheric chapters: a concrete wall, a military installation, partly open gates and two nuns in a monastery beside the dividing line.
Saint Minas Monastery
This stone monastery in the hills east of Vavla is known for its spring and eighteenth-century frescoes by the painter Philaretos.
Saint Thekla the Protomartyr Monastery
We remember the stone inscriptions, the arcade, the quiet courtyard and the spring directly beneath the church.
Saint Panteleimon Monastery
A small stone church and a carved inscription accompany the story of the physician and martyr saint.
Saint Nicholas of the Cats Monastery
Cats, snakes and a bell form one of Cyprus’s best-known legends in our personal retelling.
Saint Nicholas Monastery at Orounta
A stone church accompanies a brief account of Saint Nicholas and the development of the Santa Claus image.
Saint George Mavrovouni Monastery
The “black mountain”, a red hill, repeated fires and a restored icon are the main details of this chapter.
Holy Cross Monastery in Omodos
The arcades and pale stone of the monastery are connected in our notes with the tradition of Saint Helena and the relics kept here.
Panagia Sfalangiotissa Monastery
The story of searching by GPS became part of our account of this hillside monastery and its revered icon.
Apostolos Andreas Monastery on the Karpas Peninsula
We visited the monastery near the tip of the Karpas Peninsula and distinguish the medieval chapel, the nineteenth-century church, pilgrimage tradition and modern restoration.
Panagia Theotokos Monastery at Kampia
This women’s monastery on a hill shows that the monastic history of Cyprus continued into the twentieth century.