Description of the attraction
The Church of the Holy Martyr Paraskeva, located near Paphos in the small village of Geroskipou, is considered one of the most beautiful architectural monuments of Cyprus from the Venetian period.
The temple was built in the 9th century in honor of Paraskeva, who devoted her life to serving God and converting pagans to Christianity. She was executed during the persecution of Christians in 161. According to the legend, before that she was tortured for a long time to force her to give up her faith. However, her wounds were miraculously healed each time. When she finally refused to bow before her tormentors, her head was cut off.
The Church of St. Paraskeva is traditionally in the shape of a cross, there is also a high bell tower and five domes, the largest of which, the central one, is supported by four pillars. It is assumed that the church was built on the ruins of an ancient Christian basilica.
This place became famous thanks to the beautiful frescoes with which the masters decorated its walls during the X-XV centuries. They mainly depict scenes from the Gospel: the birth, baptism and crucifixion of Christ, the Last Supper, the faces of the saints. And in the center of the dome you can see the Mother of God, on whose lap the little Christ sits.
The greatest value of the temple is the icon of the Mother of God, on which she holds Jesus. As local residents say, this icon was found in the 19th century by a peasant who noticed some kind of glow in the thickets near the village. When he and his neighbors came closer, he saw an amazing icon, and next to it a lighted icon lamp. Then the find was transferred to the church, where it is still located.
