Angeloktisti

At the nearby Kiti village west of Larnaka it’s the small, but very significant stone build church of “Angelogtisti” meaning the church built by the Angels. This is one of the very few early Byzantine monuments that survived on the island with mosaics of the 6th century AD. This mosaic is contemporary to the ones at Saint Sofia in Constantinople and Ravenna in South of Italy. On the dome in the sanctuary of the original early Byzantine Basilica the visitor can enjoy the only Byzantine mosaic still in its place on the whole of Cyprus. This mosaic presents Virgin Mary and the Child with the two Archangels. The additions on the original 6th century church were made in the 11th century and later the Franks added a new facade and bell tower. In the sanctuary there is a very old and unique icon of the 10th century presenting Virgin Mary, Saint Lazarus and the Evangelist Loukas, who according to tradition were family friends and they all met at Kition (Larnaka) in the first difficult Christian years.


Agios Georgios of Arpera

At Kiti area a few kilometers from Angeloktisti Church and near the Kiti dam, Saint George of Arpera was built in 1745 by Konstantinos Christofakis, a Greek origin, Ottoman official (dragoman) and contractor of the Larnaca Aquaduct (kamares). A fresco in the church present him and all his family offering the Church to Saint George to thank him, according to legend, for successfully completing the difficult project of the aqueduct. The Church bears a lot more frescos signed by the painter Ioannikios.


Stavrovouni Monastery

Perched on a rocky peak the Church of the Holy Cross is 39 kilometers north from Larnaka on the road to Kalo Chorio - Pyrga. According to tradition it was founded in 330 AD by Saint Helena, mother of Constantine the great, who left a fragment of the Holy Cross to the monastery. The monastery, being on the top of a steep and lonely mountain, has a panoramic view of the Larnaka Bay and all of the surrounding area up to Nicosia. The brotherhood is extremely devout, keeping vows as strict as those of the Mount Athos brotherhood in Greece. Women are not allowed in the monastery, though men may visit the monastery daily from sunrise to sunset, except 12.00 – 13.00 (15.00 in summer). The monastery of Agia Varvara (Saint Barbara) at the foot of Stavrovouni hill, it is easily accessible. The monks here have high reputation for icon painting.


Agios Antonios of Kellia

This is another important Byzantine church in the Larnaka area, about 9 k west of Larnaka on the Livadia – Trouloi road, at Kellia village. It was first built on the 9th Century and it’s a three-aisled vaulted basilica, like St. Lazarus and Angeloktisti Church. It has undergone many reconstructions and repairs. It preserves significant wall paintings surviving from the 9th, 11th and 13th centuries.


Panagia Stazousa

On the middle of the Klavia - Pyrga earth road is a medieval Catholic monastery of early Gothic architecture built by the Franks at the beginning of 14th century. It has a spring nearby. It’s water according to legend, has healing properties. The Church is serviced today by the monks of the Stavrovouni Monastery.


Royal Chapel

It is situated in the center of Pyrga village, which is 32 kilometers from Larnaka. It was build by the Lusignan King Janus in 1421. It contains a wall painting of the king with his wife, Charlotte de Bourbon, on one of its walls. It is considered one of the most interesting structures surviving from the Frankish Period.


Agios Minas Convent

It is very near to Lefkara village and it is a monastery of the 15th century. Its church is at the center of the cloisters. The nuns, besides performing their religious rites, are involved in icon painting. The monastery is open for visits daily, except between 12.00 – 15.00 hours. For organized group visits the monastery is open from Monday to Friday.


Agios Efimianos Church

It is near Stavrovouni Monastery at the Cornos village area, just a few kilometers from Pyrga. This church is a replica of the original Byzantine church of Saint Efimianos at Lysi village, presently under Turkish military occupation. After the invasion of 1974 its 14th century frescoes were dismounted, fragmented in 38 pieces and smuggled abroad. They were finally found in Munich where the government of Cyprus together with Menil Foundation in USA bought the frescoes with the agreement that these will be exhibited in Huston (USA) for a period of 15 years before their return home. The people of Lysi built this new church on the model of the original, where replicas of the frescoes are displayed.