Sights in Tröodos Massif
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Agios Ionnis Lambadistis Monastery
The Unesco-listed Agios Ionnis Lambadistis Monastery is signposted from the long main street of Kalopanayiotis and is reached by following a road downwards and then upwards again at the opposite side of the valley. Built in the traditional Troödos style with a large barnlike roof, it is actually three churches in one, built side-on to one another over 400 years from the 11th century. The original Orthodox church has a double nave, to which has been added a narthex and a Latin chapel.
This composite church is one of the better preserved of the Troödos churches and has the most intricate and colourful frescoes. The best are the 13th-century works in the main domed Orthodox…
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Panagia tis Podythou & Panagia Theotokou (Arhangelou)
A less commonly visited Unesco-listed church (or rather duo of churches) is this rather charming pair, made up of Panagia tis Podythou and Panagia Theotokou (Arhangelou), a couple of kilometres north of Kakopetria (the signpost is easy to miss). The main church was established in 1502 by Dimitrios de Coron, a Greek military officer in the service of James II, the king of Cyprus at the time. Up to about the 1950s the building was occupied by monks.
The church itself is rectangular, with a semicircular apse at the eastern end. A portico, constructed at a later date, surrounds the church on three sides. Again, you'll see the characteristic pitched roof with flat tiles, and t…
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Panagia Forviotissa (Asinou)
This beautiful Unesco-listed church on the perimeter of the Adelfi Forest, 10km northeast as the crow flies from Kakopetria, is easily accessible from Kakopetria or Lefkosia. The church has arguably the finest set of Byzantine frescoes in the Troödos and, if you feel that you have overdosed elsewhere, its calm rural setting makes for a delightful day out. A visit to the church could also be combined with a picnic in the adjoining forest.
The styles and motifs of the frescoed interior cross several artistic generations and are quite arresting. Most of the interior images date from the 14th and 15th centuries, and portray many themes found elsewhere in the Troödos Byzantin…
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Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis
This church is the more easily accessible (with road signs) and interesting of the two Unesco-listed churches close to Kakopetria. Known as St Nicholas of the Roof in English, this tall, barnlike church, founded in the 11th century, was named for its large, heavy roof. The dome and narthex came later, and the characteristic Troödos pitched roof was added in the 15th century as protection against the heavy snows that sometimes fall in the area.
As in other Troödos churches, the art of icon and fresco painting flourished here in the Middle Ages, when Orthodoxy sought refuge from the then-dominant Latin church administration in Cyprus. The frescoes at Agios Nikolaos are the…
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Arhangelos Mihail
Most people come here for the gable-roofed church of Arhangelos Mihail, one of ten Unesco-listed churches in Cyprus. It sits in the lower part of the village, and dates from 1474. The frescoes, restored in 1980, show a move towards the naturalism of the post-Byzantine revival, and are credited to an artist known only as Adam.
Depicted are, of course, the Archangel Michael, who looms above the faithful, the sacrifice of Abraham, the Virgin and Christ, and a beautiful baptism scene where a naked Christ is coming out of River Jordan, fish swimming at his feet. There are also paintings of Pontius Pilate and the denial of Christ. The key to the church is with the (very) old la…
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icon museum
As part of the Agios Ionnis Lambadistis Monastery, there is also an icon museum. The main display is the collection of 15 icons, discovered in 1998, that date from the 16th century. As the informative and enthusiastic guide will tell you, the icons stood underground for many years, buried when the Orthodox priests ran from the invading Ottomans. Some of these icons went on tour in London in 2001.
The iconostasis (the screen holding the icons) has its top covered in carvings of the ferns that grow in abundance by the river in Kalopanayiotis, showing its local origins.
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Stavros Tou Agiasmati
This Unesco-listed Byzantine church is famous for the frescoes, painted by Filippos Goul in 1494, that decorate its gable roof. Access to the church requires some forethought; you must obtain the key from the priest at Platanistasa village 5km away and, of course, return it.
The church is somewhat remote, hidden along a sealed side road off the Orounda-Platanistasa (E906) route, though it can also be approached by a signposted but unsealed road from the next valley to the west through which the Polystypos-Xyliatos (E907) road runs.
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Niki's Sweet Factory
A wonderful Mediterranean way to put some sweetness into your life is preserving fruit, so that in winter when, for example, figs are but a distant dream, you can dip into a jar of fig preserve and beat the winter blues. Niki's Sweet Factory dedicates its entire business to this tasty therapy, and sells products like orange marmalade, fig preserve and diabetic walnut sweets. Ask about the healing properties of some of the preserves.
Niki sells her products all over Cyprus and even exports as far as Australia.
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CNT
Agros is known across the island for its cottage industries that make rose products, bottled fruit, and sausages. Local entrepreneur Chris Tsolakis runs an unusual yet thriving industry in the village: CNT is a rose-product and pottery business. Visit the workshop and learn what can be made out of roses: rose- and flower-water, rose brandy, skin cleansers, candles, rose liqueur and even a rose-infused Cabernet Sauvignon wine. Decorative ceramic bottles and other pottery items are also made in the workshop.
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AGROS
Poised high on the mountains (1000m), Agros is a breezy, largish village, convenient for hiking or driving forays into the surrounding hills. While not a particularly beautiful place to spend your holidays, it is an alternative to the better-known village of Platres to the west. The less-frequented surrounding villages and Byzantine churches make it a good base for discovering the island away from the rest of the mountain visitors.
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Kafkalia Sausage Factory
At the Kafkalia Sausage Factory all products, including lountza, hiromeri (traditional smoked ham), loukanika (village sausages), pastourmas (spicy smoked beef) and bacon, are made on the premises. Ask to see the dark and hot smoke room next to the busy little shop.
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