Pomos Reservoir Church
Stone Flower
There was also signs of ancient adornments on the same door. Imagine what it must have looked like in its heyday?
Anyway, let's go inside...
Small Is Beautiful
Inside the church you can see a fairly typical scene. On the floor in front of the altar, there are some votive offerings. They look like a baby's head and a full wax child. These are normally used in fertility prayers. Above them is a shrine which is again covered up. Then you have the standard wooden frame decorated with lots of paintings of saints and holy people. Finally, above that you have the main crucifix.
Complete With Skull
The skull and crossbones crop up on a lot of Cypriot crucifixes in churches. Originally I thought it was an artist's signature, but that is just an example of two cultures colliding. As a child, I would always associate a skull and crossbones with pirates, so thought it natural to assume that an artist might choose such a symbol to use as a hallmark. However, the image has nothing to do with pirates. If you look above it, you can see the land below Jesus' feet. It is splitting in two and the images together are supposed to represent the damage and destruction that followed the crucifixion.
The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 27, mentions that an earthquake coincided with the crucifixion: “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open.”
Hence, the skull and crossbones at the bottom.
To The Graveyard
The church won't take you long to explore, so while you are here you should also take a walk through the cemetary. It is in very good condition and has a lot of well-maintained graves.
Sleep Well, Despina.
So that is the church at Pomos Reservoir. Worth visiting if you are in the area.
We haven't publish many blogs in February, but that is because we have been busy over the past few months collecting lots of material on the Archaeological Park. We are about to smother you in it.
Starting in a few days we will begin our look at the Archaeological Park in depth. This will include blogs and films. We will then pause to cover the Carnival and Green Day, before returning to the Park to introduce our virtual tour showing the park in all its glory. So there is a lot to look forward to. We want to get the first Park blog out to coincide with UK half term, as it will encourage holiday makers to take a look.
Stay tuned!
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Related Blogs:
St George's Church and Shrine Caves
Near the shops on the Paphos / Geroskipou border, is a little track that runs below a cliff through some farmland. A sign indicates that there is a church down there, so one day I thought I would investigate. Sure enough, there was a little church, but there was so much more besides...
Agia Ekaterini
If you take the road from Kritou Terra down to the B7, you will drive past this church, and cannot fail to be impressed by it. Well, don't just drive by it. Park, and take a look. You won't be disappointed...
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 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.
Simou Church
A few sundays ago we were lucky enough to be visiting Simou when they were preparing for a Christening. The church which is normally locked, was open, so we had a quick look inside, and were stunned with what we found...Related Pages
MapPomos Reservoir Church
Panagia Chrysopateritissa Church is tucked away on the banks of Pomos Reservoir, in the outskirts of the Paphos Forest. If you fancy a break from the summer heat, or just like exploring hidden Cyprus, then it is well worth a visit.
Video ClipPomos Countryside
Pomos is quite a trip from Paphos, but it is most definitely worth it. We were up that way to visit some abandoned villages and overflowing reservoirs this week, but stopped to take in the coast along the way. The countryside up there is breathtaking, and well worth a visit. Here's a short selection of what to expect.
Good Pages To Visit
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Paphos Chat has been created for people who like our site and want to chat using Facebook. You can also easily upload photos of any size here. A lot of people are members of the Facebook chat group and the main forum. It's entirely up to you.
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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.
