Akourdaleia Cave Church
The countryside of Paphos holds many secrets. We found one of them while I was looking for potential gorges on Google Maps. Labelled as a Cave Church, a Church and a Cave, it was obvious that there was something worth investigating. So we set off to the area between Arodes and Akourdaleia, to see what we could find.
A Hunting We Shall Go...
I've always had a soft spot for finding remote gorges, and they crop up in the most unexpected places. They are normally inaccessible though, which is why they remain remote I guess. The hills around Akourdaleia are ripe for exploration, as they consist of a multitude of steep valleys criss-crossed by farm tracks.
Panagia Chrysospiliotissa
While studying the map, I noticed that if you took the road from Kathikas to Polis as far as the Arodes junction, but turned right instead of left, you would come across an interesting feature: meet Panagia Chrysospiliotissa. Now, according to the map there is also a cave here. Indeed, when we first arrived, we drove past the church and found it. But let's take a look at the church first.
Inside
From what I can determine, "Chrysospiliotissa" means "Our Lady of the Golden Cave". This indicates that the church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Indeed, there are a number of "Mary The Guide" murals inside.
New Murals
The church itself looks fairly new.
Absent Friends
Unusually, I didn't see any murals depicting St George.