Month: November 2015

The abandoned monastery of Panagia tou Sinti is situated on the banks of the Xeros River in Pentalia, and is dedicated to the Virgin Mary (Panagia) of Sinti.

The church has an octagonal dome with four windows and belongs to the first half of the 16th century. Its central nave is in good condition, and it is considered to be one of the most important buildings of the Venetian period.

The Monastery remained in operation until 1927 and thereafter was abandoned. In 1994, the Monastery of Kykkos undertook the maintenance of the Monastery, completing it in 1997 when it earned the Europa Nostra Award for the use of good restoration techniques and preservation of its original character.  

Located in Empa village, 3km north of Pafos (Paphos), the Church of Panagia Chryseleousa is actually a combination of two churches and is a stone-built structure with three aisles and two domes.

The eastern section was first built as a cruciform church with a dome in the 12th century, possibly on the ruins of an earlier Christian basilica. An extension was made to the west with a domed building of the cross-in-square type later on in the 13th century.

The church retains its rare wall paintings of the 12th, 13th, 15th and 16th centuries, with one of the most interesting depicting the miracle of fishing. Other ecclesiastical treasures include 15th and 16th century portable icons. Among them is a noteworthy icon of Jesus Christ holding a Gospel with his left hand, and a fine icon painted on two panels with six of the Apostles on each panel.

The archaeological site of Palaipafos (‘old Pafos’ in Greek) is located in Kouklia Village and was one of the most important city-kingdoms of Cyprus, as well as the first Cypriot site to be included in the World Heritage List of UNESCO in 1980.

There are two versions of how Palaipafos was founded; one story tells that Agapenor, the King of Tegea (Peloponesus), founded the city-kingdom on his way back from the Trojan War. A second legend tells that Kinyras, the local legendary king (12th century) was the founder and first High Priest of The Sanctuary of Aphrodite, which is one of the most significant monuments at the site and the most famous of the Goddess’ sanctuaries. Its ancient remains date back to the 12th century BC, whilst it remained a place of worship until the 3rd – 4th centuries AD.

The other significant monuments of Palaipafos are: The House of Leda; the northeast gate of the defensive wall; the city wall and the Palace of Hadji Abdulla; the Church of Panagia Katholiki; the Lusignan Manor House; the cemeteries and the Lusignan sugar-cane refinery in the coastal plain.

The museum, housed in a Lusignan Manor, exhibits many interesting finds from the area and portrays how the Cult of the Goddess of Fertility developed into the Cult of Aphrodite, whilst the sugar-cane refinery is also open to visitors.

The site is linked to the Aphrodite Cultural Route.

Kouklia Palaipafos – Audio Guide 

The Pafos (Paphos)  Mosaics are considered among the finest in the eastern Mediterranean and form part of the Archaeological Park of Kato Pafos, which has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list since 1980. They were discovered in 1962, after a farmer ploughing his field accidently unearthed one of them.

The Houses of Dionysos, Theseus, Aion and Orpheus are the villas of four Roman noblemen that date from the 2nd to the 5th centuries AD.Their intricate floor mosaics depict various scenes from Greek Mythology.

The 556 square metre floor mosaics at the House of Dionysos are decorated with mythological, vintage and hunting scenes. There is also a Hellenistic pebble mosaic representing the mythical sea-monster Scylla at the entrance.

The House of Theseus is named after its oldest mosaic of the Ancient Greek hero brandishing a club against the Minotaur. Newer mosaics depict Poseidon and Amphitrite and Achilles´ first bath.

The House of Orpheus has floor mosaics depicting Orpheus among the beasts, two panels representing Hercules and the Lion of Nemea, and an Amazon with her horse.

The House of Aion has the most spectacular mosaic of five figural panels depicting: the newborn Dionysos; Leda and the Swan; the beauty contest between Cassiopeia and the Nereids; Apollon and Marsyas, and the Triumph of Dionysos.

The Park also includes other sites and monuments from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages, such as the Asklepieion, the Odeon, the Agora, the Saranta Kolones (Forty Columns) Castle, and the Limeniotissa ruins of an Early Christian Basilica.

The Pafos Mosaics link with the Aphrodite Cultural Route.

Standing grandly at the west end of the town’s harbour, Pafos (Paphos) Castle (Medieval Fort) was originally a Byzantine fort built to protect the harbour, and was rebuilt by the Lusignans in the 13th century, but then dismantled by the Venetians. The Ottomans rebuilt it in the 16th century when they conquered the island. What survives today is the 1592 Ottoman restoration of the western Frankish tower with its Venetian additions. An inscription above the only entrance of the castle bears witness to this restoration.

The main part of the castle is a big square tower that has an enclosed courtyard in the middle. The ground floor consists of a central hall with small rooms on each of its two long sides, which were used as prison cells during Ottoman Rule. There are 12 battlements on the roof, which received a corresponding number of cannons. The Ottomans removed the cannons in 1878, when they handed over the administration of the island to the British, who used the castle as a salt store until 1935, when it was declared an Ancient Monument under the Antiquities Law.

The Medieval Castle of Paphos – Audio Guide 

Located close to Coral Bay resort, the settlement of Maa-Paleokastro is where the first ancient (Mycenaean) Greeks settled in 1200 BC after emigrating to the island following the fall of the Mycenaean Kingdoms in mainland Greece. As such, it is a very important site for Cyprus – as this is where the Hellenisation of the island started – and offers great insight on the end of the Late Bronze Age on the island.

Its name of ‘Paleokastro’ (‘old castle’ in Greek) comes from its imposing defensive walls that were always exposed. The fortifications of the settlement consist of two separate Cyclopean-style walls; the first wall protected the settlement from the land, and the second offered protection from the sea.

The little museum with its unusual architecture is the work of the Italian architect-conservator and professor Andrea Bruno. The Museum depicts the colonisation of Cyprus by the Mycenaean Greeks.

Excavations in the village of Lempa, 4km north of Pafos (Paphos), have brought to light an important settlement of the Chalcolithic Age (3900-2500 BC). Replicas of five houses from this era have been reconstructed using the same materials and building methods as used in Chalcolithic times.

The site links with the Aphrodite Cultural Route.

Located near the old marketplace in Pafos, the Ottoman Hamam (baths) is a stone-vaulted building with three areas: a reception area, an intermediate area and the main baths. It is believed to be of Medieval heritage despite its typical Ottoman design, and was in use until the 1950’s. Its restoration was completed in 2015.

The natural grotto of the Baths of Aphrodite, and its botanical garden, can be found past the fishing harbour of Latsi, and towards the tip of the Akamas Peninsula.

Shaded by an old fig tree, amidst lush greenery, legend tells that the Ancient Greek Goddess Aphrodite used to bathe in the waters. According to Greek mythology, Aphrodite met her lover Adonis at this beautiful spot when he stopped for a drink whilst hunting, and fell in love with her the moment when he drank the water.

The site is linked to the Aphrodite Cultural Route.

Baths of Aphrodite – Audio Guide