Description of the attraction
The famous Orthodox monastery of Stavrovouni is located between the major cities of Nicosia and Larnaca, at the very top of a high mountain. It was erected in 327 A. D. by order of St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, on the site where a temple once stood to the Greek goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite. Legend has it that after the miraculous rescue of the ship on which Helen sailed from Palestine from a terrible storm, the woman had a vision in which an angel appeared to her and ordered to build five temples on the island, and on this mountain - a monastery.
Stavrovouni is most famous for the fact that it contains a part of the Holy Life-giving Cross, on which Jesus Christ was crucified. This relic was presented to the monastery by its founder, St. Helena.
At the end of the 19th century, the monastery was badly damaged by a major fire. And in the 80s of the last century, the Cypriot authorities began large-scale repair and restoration work there: the frescoes decorating the walls were restored, a water supply system appeared and electricity was supplied. The monks living on the mountain are mainly engaged in subsistence farming, in particular, the production of incense. There are also icon-painting workshops there.
Every year in September, the church hosts a large celebration of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, which attracts believers from all over the world. What is noteworthy, despite the fact that it was Elena who initiated the construction of the monastery, women are not allowed on its territory, and a strict dress code has been introduced for male visitors.
And from the top of the mountain, where the Stavrovouni monastery stands, a breathtaking view of the surrounding lands opens.
