The Church of Saints Kerykos and Ioulitta
It's time for another guest blog from Max. He's taken a break from enlightening us about crystals and rock formations in the Paphos area, and has gone in search of some interesting church frescoes in Letymbou.
Letymbou Church
Since many years I am fascinated how nice and balanced the little church of St. Kerykos and Ioulitta looks from outside, situated at the north east corner of the village Letymbou. I was wondering how the church will look inside and decided to get the key from the Priest of the village in order to do some photos if it is worth.
First thing I want to show is how nice to church looks from outside whatever direction you look at.
Side Entrance
View From Above
And Letymbou itself...
Main Entrance
I was overwhelmed from the moment I opened the entrance door and have spent more than half an hour inside, photographing the fantastic frescoes in detail.
This church belongs to the type of the inscribed cross with dome of a simple cross-domed church, introduced to Cyprus in the 10th century if not earlier from Asia Minor. The interior of the church is quite dark, similar to other churches in Cyprus of this type. Only 5 small windows penetrate the dome and Apse. An interesting feature of this church is that the dome is virtually based on walls instead of pillars. A rather archaic element of the church is it's semi-circular construction in the apse which reminds me of early Byzantine period.
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Sinti Monastery
It's time for another guest blog, and this time Max has taken a break from his minerals to show us somewhere a bit more spiritual. Over to you Max... Sinti Monastery is a very important ancient monument and not far away from Paphos, in the beautiful Xeros River Valley. I thought I would take a round trip. In order that people can visit the place all year round (even after a good Winter's rain) in a normal car I took the longer route over the hills where the roads nowadays are all properly surfaced. On the way back you can either take the same road (Winter) or use the short cut along the Xeros river bed which is only 8 km until the next village Nata.
Agios Charalambos
Let's take a little break from flowers. I know that Cyprus looks lovely in the Spring, and that it abounds with colour and life. But it' time to take a break. With the Polemi Tulip Festival fast approaching, and the knowledge that another road trip from Max is just around the corner too, I think we need to look at something without petals.
The Enclosure of Agios Neophytos
The other day we set off to find the Enclosure of Agios Neophytos. We had seen a video of it and it looked interesting. A remote monastery in a cliff? That ticks all the right boxes. However, there wasn't much to see when we found the enclosure. We had neglected to pick the key up, and our view through the gate didn't reveal much. Fortunately, the journey to and from the place was so much fun that yet again I find myself having to cherry pick the best pictures rather than pad an article out. So enjoy our journey, and with the map at the end to guide you, why not plan your own route...?
The Church of Chryseleousa
Wherever you travel in Cyprus, you are never far from a church. Every village has one, and some have several. In our blogs, we've looked at ancient churches, and the highly adorned churches you find in the more populated areas, but we haven't really examined the traditional village church. With that in mind, I am planning a few blogs which will feature such places of worship. So let's start the ball rolling, and travel to Kannivou to visit this lovely church on the hill.
Ayios Georgios Koumanon Monastery
The Paphos Countryside is full of surprises. On any journey, you can guarantee that you will pass many interesting places without realising it. However, sometimes, if you go in search of a known location, it can prove elusive. Join us as we stalk this elusive old church through the Diarizos Valley countryside, before finally succumbing to its mysterious charms...Related Pages
MapLetymbou Church Murals
It's time for another guest blog from Max. He's taken a break from enlightening us about crystals and interesting rock formations in the Paphos area, and has gone in search of some interesting church murals in Letymbou.
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eBookCyprus Road Trip 01: the Kathikas - Panagia Loop
Let me take you on a journey around the region of Paphos, Cyprus. Starting at Paphos itself, we travel to Akoursos, then Kathikas, Kritou Terra and Simou. We continue past Lasa and Kannaviou, before taking in the delights of Panagia. Getting a bit more adventurous, we visit the abandoned villages of Statos and Agios Fotios, before passing through Choulou, Letymbou and Polemi, and rejoining the main Paphos - Polis road.
The route is suitable for all types of vehicle, and requires no off-roading. The guide contains about 130 photographs including shots of all the road signs you need to pay attention to, as well as some of the highlights you may experience along the way.
There are also several maps which will help you keep your bearings.
You can do this journey in a day, or you can break it up into chunks. You can also do it in reverse, to get some completely different views. It is entirely up to you.
