The Cats of St Theodosius
A few weeks ago we visited an Eastern Orthodox Church near Paphos Airport, as it had some interesting murals. Well, we came and saw the murals, but were conquered by a host of cute kitties that lived in the church grounds...
Park Here
The Eastern Orthodox Church of Saint Theodosius can be found in the hamlet of Akhelia, close to Paphos Airport. According to my Bumper Book of Church Murals, Akhelia was in the past, the centre of an important sugar industry. Indeed, just up the road from here is an ancient sugar mill which we recently did a virtual tour of.
View the tour on CyprusPanoramas.com
Anyway, the church is south of the village, and is a simple cruciform domed type. It retains some murals in a bad state of preservation (according to the book). We visited it out of curiosity, and met a lot of cats.
Church Guardians
This is what happens if you approach the church carrying a plastic bag. Obviously, whoever feeds the cats arrives with a plastic bag, so if the cats here see you carrying a bag, they will assume you are going to feed them.
Cruciform Dome
Here is the church itself. Pretty enough, and it gets visitors too, so do be respectful if you are taking a look inside.
Cute Cats
To be honest though, this blog is mainly about cats. If you don't like cats, walk away.
Cats Great and Small
If you aren't carrying a bag, you may only see and hear a couple when you first arrive. The kittens tend to be out playing while the more sensible older cats are hiding from the sun. But rest assured, you are being watched by many eyes.