Trekkin' in Troodos

I recently spent three days in Cyprus’ Troodos Mountains, with the intent to enjoy the cool air, the hiking trails, the change of scenery, and an opportunity to visit many of the small painted churches in the area. My art historian friend, Justine, planned the tour, highlighted by ten structures now designated with UNESCO World Heritage status. Dating from the 11th-16th century, these village churches are time capsules from the past—some beautifully restored, showcasing colorful frescoes on all wall and ceiling space and beautiful icons on the altar front; others are worn and empty, with only echoes of the Greek Orthodox religious traditions of spiritual suasion through painted Biblical scenes, images of saints and bishops, and gilded icons.

Justine, the Honda, and I drove around the twists and turns of the Troodos mountain tops and valleys, stopping often to doublecheck road signs with guidebooks, always looking for the brown signs pointing the way to heritage sites. Sometimes we made a wrong turn; only once or twice did we end up--obviously--on the wrong road! (Sometimes, it's better not to read the maps of Cyprus.)

To view a few of the churches, we had to locate
the keeper-of-the-key in the village. Always helpful, these Cypriots shared background
stories, travel advice, and even language lessons. Yassas. Efharisto. Parakalo. Almost always, they became the center of our photographs.

Some of the churches we visited are pictured along side this post. We also spent part of the day at the spectacular Kykkos Monastery and Museum. Built on the site of the original Holy Monastery of the Virgin of Kykkos, founded around the end of the 11th century, the current structure is impressive. Massive, colorful, imposing, it dominates the space. Its Museum houses icons, holy objects, woodcarvings, vestments, embroideries, manuscripts, pottery and more. It is one of the few museums I’ve entered where the background was filled with music (much like the low hum of 15th century monks praying). The lighting was very subdued. Precious exhibits were enclosed in Plexiglas. Outside, the bright sun radiated off the covered passageways, fully illustrated with more modern representations of Biblical stories.


Part of our self-planned Troodos tour was a trip to the top of Mt. Olympus. This 6400 ft. peak is the highest in the Troodos range. We edged up the paved highway, halfway expecting to find a temple to the gods at the top.

Instead, this Olympus is crowned with a British military outpost, complete with guard gate, barbed wire, several radio towers and other structures, including an enormous white dome that looked, from the valleys below, much like the world’s largest golf ball. Unlike Greece’s Olympus, legendary home of Zeus and his entourage, this Olympus houses the new, all-knowing gods: Communication, Security, and Surveillance.