In this post I drive from Polis Crysochous to Kalopanayiotis via: Kykkos Monastery (Makarios Grave) and a visit to the Monastery of Saint John Lampadistes in Kalopanayiotis. The next day I drive from Kalopanayiotis to Argos via: Evrychou, Church of the Virgin Mary of Podithou outside Galata, Kakopetria Old Town, the Monastery of St Nicholas Tis Stegis in Kakopetria and the Monastery of the Virgin Mary of Arakas in Lagoudera.
Welcome to the mountains of Cyprus. In these two days I shed my swimming skin and become a mountain man !!! The drive from Polis Crysochous to Kalopanayiotis is terrific – mountains and Cyprus Pines everywhere. Green, fresh air and on this occasion, plenty of sun and a cool 20C requiring no car aircon. My mountain drive was full of stops for you to enjoy. After 57km, which is a long way in the twists and turns of these mountains I reached the Monastery of Kykkos – one of the most important in Cyprus.
The Holy Monastery of the Virgin of Kykkos was founded around the end of the 11th century by the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos (1081–1118). The monastery lies at an altitude of 1318 meters on the northwest face of Troödos Mountains. There are no remains of the original monastery as it was burned down many times. The first President of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios III started his ecclesiastical career there as a monk in 1926. He remained fond of the place and returned there many times. His request to be buried there materialised after his death in 1977. His tomb lies 3 km west of Kykkos. I loved this place. Mosaic icons everywhere – even in the corridors outside. The grave of Archbishop Makarios III is very solemn and guarded by two soldiers. One cannot speak or move and the other keeps watch over visitors – the latter took pity on me and allowed me into the room containing his tomb so I could film the poem written by the first President of the Independent Republic of Cyprus. It was an honour. No one else was around. Even my drive here all morning encountered only 2 cars… great travelling off-season.
Kalopanayiotis is a funny name for a village – it literally means “Good Peter” and must have been named after a kindly old soul who founded the pace and lived here for many years – no one knows – I aksed !!! The village has an important monastery called The Monastery of Saint John Lampadistes. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a complex of three churches - Ioannis Lampadistis, Agios Irakleidios and a Latin chapel - all under a single, enormous timber roof. The church of Agios Ioannis Lampadistis was built in 1731. The saint’s tomb, which dates to the 12th century, can be found under the narrow northeastern arch, and the saint’s skull lies in a niche. The icon of Lampadistis dates to 1543. A very interesting Byzantine museum can be found near the church. The church of Agios Irakleidios was built in the 11th century, while its frescoes date to the 13th and 16th century. The ancient wooden templon is particularly noteworthy and is covered with gargoyles, including a heraldic Lusignan lion and Byzantine eagle.
My night in Kalopanayiotis was fantastic. I ordered a bunch of pork souvlakia and a huge Greek salad in the local square where I met a bunch of guys from Nepal of all places !!! The night was awesome. Cool at 730m falling to 15C – an idyllic first night in the mountains !!!
The next morning was cold and very refreshing. The drive to Evrychou was quick and bathed in sunlight. I arrived At St Marina as per my phone call with Mrs Christala Archilleos the night before. How strange to see the sister of Mrs Stavroula Ioannou chanting at the front of the church – they resemble each other and it was like seeing her half a world away doing the same thing. Sisters indeed. St Marina was built in the late 1800’s and beautifully adorned as you will see below. After the Liturgy I had the pleasure to meet and hug the parents of Archillea Archilleos – his mum Christala and his dad Vassos (Vassilis). They were glad to see me and I followed them to their lovely home up on a hill surrounded by many flowers and fruit trees just like Mrs Ioannou back in Bellevue Hill. We talked at length about their childhood in Evrychou and Kakopetria where Vassos was born but moved to Evrychou when quite young. Vassos is a retired teacher and full of stories and facts about Evrychou and indeed all of Cyprus – he was very impressed with the places I had seen and yet to see – he added to more stops to my itinerary today. Christala served up toast, eggs, tomato, haloumi and grape must desert – delicious just her sister ! We talked about Archy and his other siblings. We also talked about life in Australia and the trips they had made in the past. We were all agreed that the next time I would visit I would do so with Christina and John my koumbari – it has been too long since they were last here. I liked the idea of coming back with them. Vassos also took me to visit the Church of the Prophet Ilia built in 2003 on a hill overlooking the whole town.
It was quite sad leaving Christala and Vassos – I am so grateful I got to know them and we recorded several messages for Stavroula, John, Kim and Archy back in Australia. My next stop of Church of the Virgin Mary of Podithou outside Galata was well timed. The Church was locked up and just after I arrived a guy turns up to open it and let me in. A few minutes later a swarm of German tourists flooded the place as I walked out – I was so relieved not have them in my photos. The church of Panagia Podithou is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site. Once belonging to a monastery, the church was built in 1502. The monastery functioned until the beginning of the 19th century, but fell into decline and was finally abandoned after 1821 when the Archbishop and other notables were executed following the Greek revolution. This church and many in the area are a strange design. The building is single-aisled with a steep-pitched timber roof. A later portico surrounds the three sides of the church, with the roof sheltering both the church and portico. The mural paintings are of the Italo-Byzantine style that appeared on the island towards the end of the 15th century.
Kakopetria is a very quaint village snuggled in two connecting valleys. The old town is full of taverns and the smell of cooking meats fills the air. Nearby was the Church of St Nicholas Tis Stegis. The architecture is very similar to the Virgin Mary of Podithou and also UNESCO protected. The domed cross-in-square church once belonged to a monastery complex and derives its name from its pitched timber roof that was built to protect it from the weather. It is the only surviving monastery church of its kind on the island and is covered entirely in wall paintings from the 11th to the 17th centuries, with the most important surviving set on the island from this period. The church itself is dated to the 11th century, whilst the monastery dated to the end of the 13th or the beginning of the 14th century and flourished from the Middle Byzantine period up to the period of Frankish rule. It declined during the 18th century and ceased to function as a monastery by the end of the 19th century.
The Monastery of the Virgin Mary of Arakas in Lagoudera completed my trio of these 11th-12th Century Churches designed with pitched roofs. It stands as one of the most well-known and completely preserved middle Byzantine churches with mural paintings. The church is one of the ten Painted Churches in this Troödos Region. Many of the murals depict the St Paul and St Mark who introduced Christianity to Cyprus as early as 45AD – one of the first places on earth.
Agros sits at 1050m on the side of a mountain and full of narrow streets full of tavernas and cafes. I found another terrific tavern and took back nicely cooked big pork pieces over coals called SOUVLA. Another wonderful day and evening in the Troodos Mountains of central Cyprus.
Enjoy the unusual churches of this area…
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