The Troodos Mountains in Cyprus are home to one of the most extensive collections of Byzantine-era churches and monasteries. The Troodos region boasts beautiful landscapes year-round, countless hiking destinations and picturesque villages with traditional taverns, while the Soleas Valley at the foot of the mountains stands out for its unique and exceptional Byzantine churches.
The artistic legacy of Byzantine and post-Byzantine frescoes
Some of the most significant monuments in the history of Byzantine painting have been preserved in the Troodos mountain range. These frescoed churches showcase outstanding examples of various styles of Byzantine and post-Byzantine monumental painting, dating from the 11th to the 16th century. Additionally, the art in these churches reflects the interplay between Eastern and Western Christian traditions. UNESCO recognized these churches as World Heritage Sites.
The 10 churches, which date from the mid-Byzantine to the late Byzantine period (11th–16th century), feature elements of metropolitan Byzantine art of high aesthetic value, combined with local influences shaped by historical, geographical and climatic factors. The architecture of these churches is unique to the Troodos mountain range. Their gabled wooden roofs, covered with locally produced hooked tiles, are designed to protect them from the region’s rain and occasional snow.
The interiors—and in some cases, parts of the exteriors—of the churches feature frescoes. Artists created these frescoes using faeochoma, a natural brown pigment mined in Cyprus since ancient times, which they traditionally used to decorate both vases and frescoes in Cypriot churches.
Furthermore the official UNESCO website states that the architecture of these churches is unique and originates indigenously, as it appears exclusively in the Troodos mountain range. Visiting them one by one offers a vivid image of Byzantine Cyprus.
The ten UNESCO churches: Guardians of Cyprus’ religious heritage
These 10 Byzantine UNESCO monuments are located in three areas of the Troodos region: Pitsilia, Solea and Marathasa.
The Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior (Metamorphosis tou Sotiros), Palaichori (Pitsilia)
Perched on a small hill overlooking the eastern part of the village, the church builders constructed it at the beginning of the 16th century. It features a single-aisled, wooden-roofed architectural style. A narthex, dating back at least to the early 17th century, extends to the west and south in the form of a portico and the same gabled roof covers it.
Holy cross of Agiasmati, Platanistasa (Pitsilia)
This church, built at the end of the 15th century, once functioned as a monastery. An inscription above the entrance on the northern wall indicates that the priest Petros Peratis and his wife Pepanis sponsored the building. Meanwhile a fresco depicts them offering the church’s effigy to Christ through the Theotokos. Flat, hooked tiles cover the single-aisled, wooden-roofed church, and the roof extends beyond the building to form a parapet—unique in Cyprus. Frescoes adorn the interior, including the four beams supporting the roof, blending Byzantine Paleologian art, local folk painting and Italian Renaissance influences.
Timios Stavros, Pelendri (Pitsilia)
Dating back to the late 12th century, this church initially served as a cemetery chapel. The original structure was destroyed, but the surviving arch was incorporated into a new church built between the 13th and 14th centuries. The collection of icons, spanning from the late 12th to the 19th century, is a significant highlight, with many remarkable examples of Byzantine art in Cyprus. The icons on the iconostasis show strong influences of 16th-century Italian art.
Panagia of Araka, Lagoudera (Pitsilia)
Built in the 12th century, the church of Panagia of Araka is one of the most significant Byzantine churches of its time. Its unique frescoes, painted in the Comnenian style and funded by Leo Authentes in 1192, narrate biblical stories. Once a monastery, the church also houses two notable icons—Christ and the Virgin Mary of Arakiotissa—painted by Theodoros Apseudis at the end of the 12th century.
Saint Nikolaos Stegis, Kakopetria (Solea)
Located on the west bank of the Karkotis River, this church is the only surviving example of a Catholic Byzantine monastery in Cyprus. Its foundation likely dates to the first half of the 11th century, which is when the church was constructed. The oldest written reference to the monastery, however, comes from the late 13th to early 14th century. The monastery flourished during the Middle Byzantine and Frankish periods but declined in the 18th century and dissolved by the end of the 19th century. Since then, it has functioned as a chapel and pilgrimage site, as it does today. No other monastery buildings survive apart from the church.
Panagia Podithou, Galata (Solea)
This church is situated in a narrow, fertile valley of the Klarios River. It features a single-story structure with a steep, gabled wooden roof. A later-added portico surrounds three sides of the church, with the roof covering both the church and the portico. The frescoes inside are in the Italo-Byzantine style, which emerged on the island in the late 15th century.
Panagia Asinou, Nikitari (Solea)
Known as Panagia Forviotissa or Panagia tis Asinou, this church is on the eastern bank of a small stream. It’s three kilometers south of the village of Nikitari. It served as the catholicon of the Forbion Monastery, from which it takes its name. In inscription that dates 1105/6 above the southern entrance, we read that Magister Nikiforos Ischyrios found the monastery. Magister Nikiforos Ischyrios later became the monk Nikolaos. The monastery was established in 1099 and remained active until the end of the 18th century during the Turkish occupation.
Saint Ioannis Lampadistis, Kalopanagiotis (Marathasa)
Saint Ioannis Lampadistis is in the heart of the Troodos mountain range. In the Marathasa Valley, they built this church on the eastern bank of the Setrachos River. It is a union of three churches: Saint Herakleides, Saint Ioannis Lampadistis, and the church of Acathist Hymn. The latter was formerly a Latin chapel. The Department of Antiquities restored the southern monastic buildings.
Notable features include an olive mill and a small grape press. The church houses significant frescoes, including 11th-century antiquities discovered under later layers. The 12th-century frescoes feature monks in adoration, while a well-preserved 13th-century scene depicts Christ’s entry into Jerusalem. A late 14th-century series of frescoes, unique even outside Cyprus, illustrates over 30 scenes from the New Testament.
Panagia of Moutoullas (Marathasa)
This Byzantine church of Cyprus stands on a hill above the village of Moutoullas. An inscription on the northern wall of the sanctuary states that “John of Moutullas” and his wife Irene built and frescoed it in 1280. The fresco depicts them holding a model of the church. Moreover structure follows the wooden-roofed, single-chamber architectural style typical of the Troodos mountain range. They added a narthex later, after the early 16th century, surrounding the western and northern sides. The wooden pitched roof also extends over the narthex.
Archangel Michael, Pedoulas (Marathasa)
Built and frescoed in 1474, this church owes its construction to the priest Vasilios Hamados, as recorded in an inscription above the northern entrance. A fresco depictsthe priest, his wife, and two daughters offering the church model to Archangel Michael. The church fully adorns itself with frescoes in the local post-Byzantine style. Additionally the upper level features 11 compositions from the Festive Cycle, while the lower level contains depictions of saints. The Crucifixion and Ascension are prominently displayed on the pediments.
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