Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
bet. The Arrival of the Magi depicts the Magi on horseback, wearing crusader armour and
grandstanding red crescents (a Roman symbol for the Byzantines and later the Turks).
Photographs of the iconography are not permitted.
Note that the opening hours can fluctuate; if closed you can generally find the priest
(plus key) at the nearby coffee shop.
Byzantine Museum
MUSEUM
(admission €1;
h
9am-4pm Tue-Sat, 11am-4pm Sun May-Sep, shorter hours rest of the year)
Part of the monastery, this museum displays a collection of 15 icons discovered in 1998.
Dating from the 16th century, the icons were hidden underground for many years by
Orthodox priests escaping the invading Ottomans. The iconostasis (screen that holds
icons) is covered in carvings of local ferns found at the river in Kalopanayiotis, confirm-
ing its origins.
Moutoullas
This small village, on the road between Pedoulas and Kalopanayiotis, is the site of Pana-
gia tou Moutoulla, another Unesco-listed church with frescos. The village is also well-
known for its traditional woodcarvings, as well as its bounty of apples and cherries,
thanks to the vast surrounding orchards.
The oldest of the painted churches in the Tröodos mountains and believed to have once
been a private chapel,
Panagia tou Moutoulla
(
h
dawn-dusk)
has the steep aisle and pitched
roof common to the region. Its rare unrestored paintings include depictions of St Chris-
topher, St George and the Virgin and date back to 1280 AD. You will need to seek out the
key, held at the village coffee shop.
Kykkos Monastery
Kykkos Monastery
MONASTERY
(
h
dawn-dusk;
p
)
F
The island's most prosperous and opulent Orthodox monastery was founded in the 11th
century by Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komninos after a bizarre series of events. Over
the centuries, a series of fires all but destroyed the original monastery. The surviving
building is an imposing and well-maintained structure dating from 1831. To enter you will
need to dress conservatively; shawls and cover-up clothing are provided for scantily-clad
visitors. It's located about 20km west of Pedoulas.
