#393 Globally
⛪ Kykkos Monastery
Cyprus
About This Sacred Site
Kykkos Monastery is the largest, wealthiest, and best-known monastery in Cyprus, perched at 1,318 meters in the Troodos Mountains. Founded in the 11th century by the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, it houses one of three icons of the Virgin Mary attributed to St Luke the Evangelist. The monastery has been a center of learning, culture, and spiritual life for nearly a millennium.
Key Facts
- •Founded around 1080 by Emperor Alexios I Komnenos
- •Houses an icon of the Virgin Mary attributed to the Apostle Luke
- •The icon is kept permanently covered—legend says anyone who looks upon it will go blind
- •Archbishop Makarios III, the first president of Cyprus, was a novice monk here
- •The monastery has been destroyed by fire four times and rebuilt each time
Location
Coordinates: 34.9833, 32.7417
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