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 Kannaviou to visit this lovely church on the hill.
The Church on the Hill
If you remember our first Paphos Road Trip we passed this church on the way to Kannaviou. The views alone make it worth a visit. Incidentally, we are hard at work on the second road trip, and hope to have it on Amazon before the UK half term, so watch this space for more information on that.
A Small Graveyard
In the grounds of the church there is a small, modern graveyard. I feel I should mention that you should of course treat churches, mosques and other religious buildings and shrines with the utmost respect in Cyprus, and anywhere else for that matter. Regardless of your own feelings, these places mean an awful lot to the people that live in the area, and they should not have to put up with people being disrespectful to their beliefs.
A Modern Church
I couldn't find any information about this church online; not even its name. I had to go back later and photograph the sign at the foot of the hill, then run it through a translator. However I finally learned that it is the Church of Chrseleousa, and, judging by its appearance, is a fairly recent build.
Chryseleousa
The name "Chryseleousa" is also a bit of a mystery. I googled it, and it does appear in the names of a few churches in Cyprus. However, I could find no information about any "Saint Chryseleousa", so perhaps it refers to something else? I know that the main church in Lysos is dedicated to "Panagia Chryseleousa", but no write-up I have found says what that actually is.
Inside
Inside the church, you can see it is has some very nice pictures and wood carvings. One thing I have noticed about a lot of Greek Orthodox churches, is that they have the pews running along the side, by the walls. I am used to front-facing pews. I wonder what the reason for this is?