🎨 Troodos Painted Churches
Cyprus
About This Sacred Site
The Painted Churches of the Troodos Mountains are a collection of ten Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These small rural churches contain some of the finest examples of Byzantine and medieval wall painting in the Eastern Mediterranean, spanning from the 11th to the 16th century. Their remote mountain locations helped preserve these artistic treasures through centuries of invasion and upheaval.
Key Facts
- •Ten churches are included in the UNESCO World Heritage listing
- •The frescoes date from the 11th to the 16th century
- •The Church of Panagia tou Araka has some of the finest 12th-century paintings
- •Many churches have unique steep-pitched wooden roofs to shed mountain snow
- •The remote mountain setting helped protect the frescoes from destruction
Location
Coordinates: 34.9500, 32.8833
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