Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
guarded by a sword (
maheras
means knife or sword in Greek) in a cave near the site of
the present monastery.
The monastery developed around the icon and flourished over time. Nothing remains of
the original structures; the current building dates from around 1900. The monastery has
become a popular outing for Cypriots, who possibly come as much for the cooler climate
as for spiritual enlightenment. There is a small cafeteria in the grounds and pilgrims may
stay overnight.
The monastery is open for visits by groups of parishioners only at certain times. Ask
locally or at the CTO in Nicosia about how you might join one of these groups, which will
mostly consist of Cypriot pilgrims. Visits should be conducted with reverence and solem-
nity. Maheras Monastery is best approached via Klirou and Fikardou, since the alternate
route via Pera and the E902, while very pretty, is winding and very slow.
Mesaoria Villages
Renting a car and driving around the Mesaoria is a good way to see the area's villages, but
keep in mind that roads tend to fan out haphazardly along roughly defined valleys and
ravines, and cross from one valley to another. The journey can therefore be slow as the
roads are narrow and winding. 4WD tours often take travellers to see some of the villages
of the Mesaoria as part of a wider tour around Cyprus.
One of the more popular villages in the area is
Pera
(population 1020), situated a
couple of kilometres from Tamassos. While there are no specific sights here, Pera is non-
etheless pretty. Head for the signposted Arghaggelou Michail church, where you can park
and wander around the surrounding cobbled backstreets. Photographers will find some
particularly evocative scenes: old houses covered in bougainvillea, ancient stone jars,
pretty doors and cats on walls. Visitors stop for refreshments at the
kafeneio
(coffee shop),
where the locals, and often the village priest, enjoy coffee and gossip in a world where
time means little.
The villages of
Orounda
(population 660) and
Peristerona
(population 2100), west of
Nicosia, have interesting and photogenic churches. The village of
Lythrodontas
(popula-
tion 2620), 25km south of Nicosia, has a lovely large central square with a couple of at-
mospheric traditional cafes.
The postcard-pretty village of
Fikardou
(population 16) is close to the Maheras
Monastery; visits to both are easily combined. Fikardou is the 'official' village in a clutch
of well-preserved villages in the eastern Troödos Mountains. Its Ottoman-period houses
with wooden balconies are gradually being restored and are a visual relief after the cement
structures of many modern Troödos Mountain villages. That said, there's not a lot to
Fikardou, and only a handful of people live here permanently.
