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Up in the mountains to the Richest Monastery -Kykkos!

Last week of March 2018 we drove to the mountains of Pedoulas, part of Troodos about 1,100 meters in altitude. Off to the well known and richest monastery in Cyprus – Kykkos Monastery.

It was still the final stretch of the winter season with a temperature of about 14 deg C in Nicosia. This is about an hour and 45 minutes’ drive from Nicosia via expressway A9.

My first road trip here in Cyprus and my very first time visiting an orthodox monastery. I enjoyed the scenery on our way – greens, vegetations, hills, and villages above and below the mountains. Surprisingly we encountered different weather along the way – sunny, cloudy, windy, rainy and foggy. All in 1 day! When we arrived at the monastery there was so much fog and the temperature dropped down about 8 degrees C; with the icy air blowing it was so chilly.

Kykkos Monastery is located 20km west of Pedoulas in the mountainous region of Marathasa Valley. It was believed to be founded in the 11th century by Byzantine Emperor Alexios Komnenos. This is dedicated to Mary – Mother of God.

Camera is not allowed inside the monastery museum. Going over the collections they were all gold. Seems like everything is in gold! This is the richest and most known monasteries here in Cyprus. Hence, it attracted a large number of tourists for religious purposes and sightseeing every year. Several tourist buses were there on that day. More information and images can be found on their website.

GPS Coordinates Lat: 34.98334 Lon: 32.741299
Opening Times10:00AM – 4:00PM (Nov-May)
10:00AM – 6:00PM (June – Oct)
Entrance Fees €5.00 / Groups €3.00

Timings and Prices above may change without prior notice.

The best time to visit is every September 8th (Birth of the Virgin) and August 15th (Dormition of the Virgin) as they hold religious fairs.

Further up of the monastery at the Throni Hill, about 2 km.; is the tomb of Archbishop Makarious III. He was a monk and the first President of Cyprus. It was his wish to be buried there after his death in 1977.

He was a significant political figure during his term from 1960-1977.

According to Cyprus Mail: ” During this period, Cyprus gained independence from Britain, suffered periods of intercommunal violence and, in 1974, was subjected to a Greek-inspired coup and a Turkish invasion that split the island.

Due to his influence, streets, hospitals, and other establishments are named after him. Here is an interesting read to check out.

Reaching the top at 1,450 altitude with strong winds, it was really brrr freezing. I wasn’t able to stay longer and for some reason, my mobile phone just shut off. The view on top was very breathtaking, overlooking a part of Cyprus.

Next stop was Trodoos Mountain, the highest point. We were keeping our fingers crossed to find traces of snow but at that time they already melted. Instead, we were greeted with a heavy fog with 0 degrees C temperature.

Before heading back to the city, we had lunch in this charming village of Pedoulas.

Pedoulas Village, photo taken from Taverna

Yes, it was indeed a long trip, but it was all worth it even at a freezing point!

16 Comments

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Cool! Super thanks. Hope you can visit here soon and I’ll be happy to hear about your travel. Take care and stay safe always.

Thank you. We have been visiting this monastery several times and brought our visitors here. Also you can explore villages around this area. 😉

I enjoy seeing small villages located on the foot of the mountains and hills. Thanks for sharing this 🙂 – Dan “Jay” Reyes

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