I decided Cyprus deserved a second visit. The first time I visited was in May 2014 and it was raining most of the time. In July 2015, I was hoping for better weather which I certainly got in the form of a heatwave. The main purpose of the trip was to visit friends, but I had also decided to visit all the UNESCO sites in Cyprus.
Nicosia
The first night I stayed in Nicosia, which is a great base for exploring the UNESCO Painted Churches in the Troodos Mountains. That night I had dinner at Kleftiko Kyriakos, which is a restaurant where they only serve Kleftiko (lamb from the oven) and I had drinks at Patio in Nicosia for the second time and it’s still my favourite bar!
Tymvos Makedonitissa
My one day visit in Nicosia doesn’t warrant a post on its own, but Makedonitissa is worth mentioning (especially since it’s an easy stop on the road to Troodos Mountains). In Makedonitissa you’ll find the military cemetery with the Greek Cypriots who have fallen in the struggles against the Turks in 1964 and 1974.
The cemetery is based on a rather special site. This is where a plane carrying Greek Armed Forces who came to defend the Greek Cypriots was tragically and accidentally shot down by friendly fire in 1974. The wreckage of the plane is buried underneath the mound.
The Monastery of Makedonitissas also made me stop the car in its track. How can you not stop to marvel at the beautiful Greek Orthodox churches?
Before we reached Troodos Mountains, I saw another car-stoppingly gorgeous church.
UNESCO Painted Churches
I had made a random selection of churches we could visit on our way to Limassol without going too much off track. In total there are ten UNESCO churches, I visited four in half a day. Bear in mind that you really need a car to visit the churches unless there are tour operators which takes you here. All the churches are quite far apart and you should count on at least twenty to thirty minutes to get from one to the other.
UNESCO is better at stating why these churches were listed as heritage sites:
“The Troodos mountain region of Cyprus contains one of the largest groups of churches and monasteries of the former Byzantine Empire. The ten monuments included on the World Heritage List, all richly decorated with murals, provide an overview of Byzantine and post-Byzantine painting in Cyprus and bear testimony to the variety of artistic influences affecting Cyprus over a period of 500 years. The structures display elements that were specific to Cyprus and were determined by its geography, history and climate, including steep-pitched wooden roofs with flat hooked tiles, in some cases providing a second roof over Byzantine masonry domes and vaulted forms, while exhibiting Byzantine metropolitan art of the highest quality. The architecture of these churches is unique, confined to the Troodos range and almost certainly of indigenous origin. They range from small churches whose rural architectural style is in stark contrast to their highly refined decoration, to monasteries such as that of St John Lampadistis. They also contain a wealth of dated inscriptions, an uncommon feature in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Middle Ages, which makes them particularly important for recording the chronology of Byzantine painting.”
Church of Panagia Phorviotissa (Asinou) – Nikitari
The first stop was near Nikitari. This is one of the oldest churches we visited because the church of Panagia Phorviotissa was erected between 1099 and 1105. It’s a small, single-aisled church vaulted with a second timber roof covered with flat tiles, erected and adorned with frescoes. The paintings are gorgeous and this was the only church we visited where we were allowed to take pictures inside. I think the first church was straightaway my favourite.
The first Byzantine church I ever visited was Chora Church in Istanbul; the style of painting is almost completely the same (in the eyes of a layman).
Church of Panagia of Podithou – Galata
The second church can be found near Galata village. It was built in 1502. The church building is rectangular, with a semi-circular apse at the eastern end. It was never entirely decorated. The wall paintings in this church are influenced by western painting techniques from the Italian Renaissance.
We accidentally broke in to this church, because the caretaker drove away when we arrived, so we opened the door by ourselves.
The most beautiful part of this church is the setting, because you approach the church from a high road and the building is inside a valley.
Galata Village – Water Mill
When we drove through Galata Village, there were signs about an old water mill. So it goes without saying that we had to check that out as well.
Church of Agios Nikolaos Tis Stegis – Kakopetria
The third church was located above the old village of Kakopetria. The building is the sole remnant of an old monastery founded in the 11th century that flourished in the mid-Byzantine period. It contains paintings from the 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 17th century. Unfortunately, no pictures are allowed inside the church.
Church of Archangel Michael – Pedoulas
The fourth and last church was founded in 1474 and can be found in Pedoulas. This church is one of the few in Cyprus where the name of the artist survives. Minas followed the local Byzantine tradition and the iconographical programme with influences from the last phase of Byzantine tradition as it developed in Thessaloniki and Macedonia in addition to western art evident in the small details in certain scenes. Again, no pictures allowed inside.
Byzantine Museum – Pedoulas
Right across from the Church of Archangel Michael is a Byzantine Museum. You don’t have to pay an entrance fee and the museum will only take around 15 minutes of your time, so it’s worth a visit. I really like to see the different Byzantine style paintings. If it’s possible to have a favourite art style for churches, the Byzantine style is my favourite.
Since this was my second time in Pedoulas, I really had to have lunch at the Mountain Rose again, which is the same hotel I had lunch a year ago, with the exact same gorgeous view over the town.
Omodos Village
The last stop on the hunt for UNESCO Painted Churches has nothing to do with UNESCO, churches or paintings. Instead, we mixed it up by visiting a gorgeous town in the wine region of the Troodos Mountains called Omodos. There is a 17th century stone-built monastery, which you can visit via a cobblestone path and you can sample local wines for free at many outlets. There were no tourists at any of the UNESCO churches, but there were a lot of tourists in this little town.
Conclusion
It’s difficult to visit all the ten UNESCO listed churches in one day and to be honest, after around four or five it gets a bit boring. It’s good to mix it up a bit with some other sights and activities (such as wine tasting). The way I designed the route was with the help of this fantastic website. You can also plan other activities in Cyprus with this website.
The next stop in my week-long trip in Cyprus was Limassol Marina and some more sights in Paphos which I will describe in the next post.
