DK Travel : Cyprus : Architecture

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La Cava Castle

Toppled ramparts mark the site of this Crusader keep.
Machairas Monastery

Picturesquely located and sensitively restored, Machairas was founded in 1148. The centuries-old monks’ cells, stables and cellars are fascinating, and there is a fine collection of superbly executed icons (see Machairas Monastery).
Machairas Monastery

This monastery was founded in 1148 by two hermits guided by divine intervention to an icon of the Virgin, painted by Luke the Evangelist. The icon survived fires which damaged the monastery in 1530 and 1892 – proof, to believers, of its miraculous powers (see Machairas Monastery).
Panagia Chrysospiliotissa Church

Catacombs dug into the hillside show that this church dates from early Christian times, when believers worshipped in secret for fear of persecution.
Panagia tis Amasgou

Some wonderful – but unrestored – frescoes dating from the 12th to the 16th centuries are the key feature of this nunnery church. It is just one of several important Byzantine churches in the Kourris Valley, near Limassol.
Panagia tou Sinti Monastery

Standing alone on the banks of the river Xeros, Panagia tou Sinti is deserted and a little ghostly. Founded in the 16th century, it is one of the island’s most important Venetian buildings, and has been awarded the Europa Nostra prize for the sensitive restoration work carried out in the 1990s (see Panagia tou Sinti).
Pera Chorio

Saints, martyrs, emperors and demons are depicted in wall-paintings within the Byzantine church of Agioi Apostoloi in this small village near Dali.
Peristerona

A 10th-century church with wall paintings dates from the 12th and 15th centuries.
Stavrovouni Monastery

With awesome views from its hilltop location, this monastery, founded in the 4th century by St Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine I, is aptly named the “Mountain of the Cross”. It is said to house a fragment of the Holy Cross, and its monks, who keep strict vows, are renowned icon painters. No women are allowed to enter (see Stavrovouni Monastery).
Tamassos

Tamassos was one of the earliest cities on the island (6th century BC) and grew wealthy from its copper mines, which were famed throughout the ancient world.