Religious Monuments
Cyprus is enriched with a number of Byzantine monuments. The historical and artistic value of ten of these monuments are so great that they are included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. All ten of these sites are churches in the Troodos area, dating from the eleventh to the seventeenth centuries.
Church of Saint Nicolas of Stegi – Kakopetria, Troodos
The Church of Saint Nicolas of Stegi is located in a central area of the Troodos mountain range, in the northern part of the Solea Valley. It is built on the west bank of the Klariou/ Karkotis river, two kilometres south west of the village of Kakopetria. The Church of Saint Nicolas of Stegi, which dates to the first half of the eleventh century, is the only surviving and preserved monastery church of its kind on the island and is a perfect example of a Catholic Byzantine Monastery.
Kykkos Monastery – Troodos
The most famous and rich monastery in Cyprus, the holy monastery of Kykkos, was founded in 1,100 and is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It holds one of the three preserved icons attributed to Saint Loukas. It is covered in silver gilt and is kept inside a shrine made of tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl that stands in front of he iconostasis. The church’s museum is an integral part of the monastery and houses an invaluable collection of icons, sanctuaries, manuscripts and Cypriot antiquities.
The Byzantine Panagia tou Araka Church – Lagoudera, Nicosia
From antiquity to the present, sanctuaries have been destinations on the maps of many travellers. Here, in these kind of places, such as, churches and monasteries, religious followers flock to communicate with the divine.
Stavrovouni Monastery
The historical Stavrovouni Monastery was established by Saint Eleni, who left a relic of the Holy Cross at the monastery.
