Kykkos

Kykkos

Kykkos Monastery, located 20 km west of Pedoulas, is one of the richest and most famous monasteries in Cyprus. The Holy Monastery of the Virgin of Kykkos was established in the 11th century by the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. The Monastery is located at an elevation of 1318 meters on the north-western side of the Troödos Mountains, but there are no remains of the old monastery, as it has been burnt down several times. Archbishop Makarios III, the first President of Cyprus, began his ecclesiastical career here in 1926 as a monk, and loved the place so much that he returned several times. His request to be buried here was fulfilled after his death in 1977. His tomb is located 3 km west of the Kykkos Monastery, which is a popular place to visit. In the monastery is one of the three icons dedicated to Panagia, which are attributed to the Agios Loukas. The icon, which is covered with silver gilding, is housed in a shrine of tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl, which stands in front of the iconostasis. Legend has it that Isaiah, a Cypriot hermit, wonderfully healed the daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. As a payment, he requested the icon, and although the emperor was saddened at the prospect of losing the treasure, he sent it to Cyprus, together with the money to build a monastery where the holy relic would be kept. Nowadays, the monastery makes Zivania spirit and other alcoholic beverages, and there is also a museum on the monastery grounds.