Cyprus — Island of Saints

Today you have a wonderful opportunity to see a very different Cyprus – green and fresh, filled with the scent of resin and pine, concealing amid its greenery not ancient monuments but ancient monasteries and churches, unique icons and, once again, stirring and captivating legends, tales and beliefs from another page of history – the arrival and establishment of the new, Orthodox faith...

Our journey begins with a visit to the Church of Cyprian and Justina in the village of Meniko, after which we will continue to Kakopetria and visit the Church of St Nicholas. The church is fully decorated with frescoes dating from the 11th to the 17th centuries and is considered one of the most interesting Byzantine churches on the island.

Next awaits the holy of holies of the island – the largest, most beautiful, wealthiest and most powerful monastery, Kykkos. The monastery's principal treasure is a miracle-working icon of the Virgin Mary, painted, according to tradition, by St Luke himself during his lifetime. There are only three such icons in the world, and one of them is kept on this small island, at its very heart... Near Kykkos Monastery stands the peak of Throni, where the first President of the Republic of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios III, was buried, and where there is also a pavilion – the place from which the icon was carried out in times of war and natural disaster...

Next we visit Trooditissa, a men's monastery known for its miracle-working icon of the Mother of God "Trooditissa", said by tradition to have been painted by the Evangelist Luke, and for the miraculous leather Belt of the Holy Virgin, adorned with gold and silver. According to local belief, this belt helps women unable to conceive to bear a son.

Our route then leads to the mountain village of Omodos, where we will have the chance to visit the old house of Socrates Socratous, which also serves as a museum of village life, to see how genuine centuries-old wine cellars are arranged, and to taste – and, if you wish, purchase – wine you enjoy. Incidentally, fine Cypriot wine is even mentioned in the Bible. This village, also known as the Wine Village, is home to another treasure of the Troodos – the Monastery of the Holy Cross, a lesser-known site whose treasures nonetheless make it every bit as significant a spiritual heritage of Cyprus as Kykkos. You will also be able to have lunch in Omodos.

DAYS OF OPERATION: daily.

DURATION: full day.

MEALS: lunch not included in the price.

USEFUL TIP: We recommend wearing comfortable shoes, and please remember that modest dress is required when visiting Christian churches. Don't forget your camera.

INTERESTING FACT: The Troodos mountain range formed around 70 million years ago, when present-day Cyprus still lay on the floor of an ancient ocean. As the ocean floor rose, the Troodos range emerged from the water, "pulling" the island up with it. The very summit of the range is a unique ophiolite complex (a complex of deep-sea sedimentary deposits interpreted as a formation of oceanic crust), studied by volcanologists trying to understand how the floor of the world's ocean formed 90 million years ago.

PRICE: of an individual excursion is calculated according to the options you choose – route, transport, timing and so on – so please contact our representative, who will suggest the most favourable option.