Description of the attraction
Just a few kilometers from the port of Paphos, there is one of the most revered Christian shrines in Cyprus - the catacombs of St. Solomon. An old pistachio tree grows right in front of the entrance to the caves, which is a kind of "guard" of this place. People believe that by tying your personal thing to its branches, you can heal from all diseases in a year. Now this tree is already completely hung with various decorations, scarves, belts and other trifles.
This place got its name in honor of the Great Martyr Solomonia, whose relics are still kept in one of the grottoes of the hill. According to legend, Saint Solomonia and her seven sons settled in these catacombs around the 2nd century AD. after escaping from Palestine. However, they were soon seized and accepted all martyrdom.
The catacombs themselves were dug under the Fabrika Hill in the 4th century BC. and were used as a burial site. And only at the dawn of our century the first Christians of the island settled there.
It was they who created several more additional caves, which are located in the shape of a cross, as well as a beautiful underground church, which became famous for its amazing frescoes and drawings. It is believed that they appeared much later than the church itself - during the time of the Crusaders. Fortunately, they have survived to this day in fairly good condition.
The main attraction of these catacombs is considered to be the holy spring, from which the first Christians who settled there took water. However, recently, due to the large number of people who want to stock up on this life-giving moisture, the spring has become a little shallow and the water in it has become cloudy. But, according to knowledgeable people, this did not in any way affect its healing properties.
