25 Historical Monasteries and Picturesque Churches in Famagusta District for you to Discover!
A journey through history, legends, and the deep religious faith of the region’s inhabitants.
Explore the rich tapestry of legends, myths, historical events, and the deep Orthodox faith that unfolds through the ecclesiastical monuments and numerous chapels scattered across the urban centres, tourist resorts, and villages of the Famagusta District.
Byzantine churches, preserved through the centuries with historical frescoes inside, are directly connected to the lives of the inhabitants. These sites take you back in time, revealing the deep historical roots of the area.
The region’s residents, deeply attached to their ecclesiastical monuments, have meticulously maintained them, passing down traditions and legends associated with these sacred places from generation to generation.
The churches in the area are treasures waiting to be discovered, especially in autumn and winter when the temperatures are milder. Combine your visit to these church monuments with other local attractions, and enjoy lunch at nearby restaurants or coffee at traditional cafes. Many chapels also have organised picnic areas in the surrounding countryside. Are you ready to dive into the history and religious mystique of the Free Famagusta Region?
Municipality of Ayia Napa
Ayia Napa
A landmark of Ayia Napa, known worldwide, is the Medieval Monastery located in the central square, dedicated to the Virgin Mary of the Forests. Recently restored, the Monastery dates back to the 15th century and is partly built underground and carved out of rock. The presence of a cave, a crypt, and a well indicates the existence of Christians in the area since Byzantine times in the 11th century. According to local tradition, a hunter discovered the miraculous icon of the Holy Virgin in a cave there. West of the monastery is a Byzantine chapel where, according to tradition, the Virgin Mary rested. The Monastery also inspired the Nobel Prize-winning Greek poet George Seferis, who wrote the poem “Agianapa II,” included in his poetry collection ” Log Book III.”
Another significant ecclesiastical monument in Ayia Napa is the chapel of Ayios Epiphanios, built on the ruins of an old church on the south side of a cliff. From the hill, you can see a panoramic view of “Paliochori,” a Byzantine settlement destroyed during the Arab raids from 632 to 964 AD. The much-photographed Chapel of the Ayioi Anargyroi, a trademark of Cape Greco, is built on a rock by the sea and dedicated to Saints Cosmas and Damianos. According to tradition, the saints encountered a wild sea storm during one of their journeys, and their boat was swept into a cave, which has since been turned into a chapel. The new chapel was later built on the rock above the cave, with the Holy of Holies located in the cave below.
GPS:
Medieval Monastery https://maps.app.goo.gl/2eVJvfebuufnbeLk7
Ayios Epiphanios https://maps.app.goo.gl/kg2YeXbZfjh8sX4W6
Ayioi Anargyroi https://maps.app.goo.gl/xzwfuCdNSzeZCvNw6
Sotira
Sotira is renowned as a Byzantine town with numerous Byzantine chapels and the foundations of an early Christian church dating back to the 3rd-4th century AD.
Begin your tour at the Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour, built on the site of an early Christian Basilica with a mosaic floor. The current form of the church is the result of 16th century repairs. Exquisite 13th-century frescoes, reflecting the imperial art of Constantinople, have been discovered in the church. Continue your tour with the 16th-century chapel of Ayios Mamas, a small church with mostly destroyed frescoes. Three important despotic icons of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and Ayios Mamas from 1754, works of the School of Painting of the Monastery of Saint Heraclidios, have survived from the chapel.
Continue on the Byzantine route to Ayios Georgios Chortakion, built at the beginning of the 12th century. Originally decorated with frescoes, very few of which survive. Next, visit Ayios Theodoros Chortakion, a ruined 12th-century church with frescoes destroyed when it collapsed. Notable are two frescoes in the narthex of the church, of Ayios Elpidophoros from the group of Saints Aquinas and another unknown saint dating to the early 12th century. The 12th-century Panagia Chordakiotissa has only the catholic church, the ruined cells and a well to the north of the church surviving. The church was decorated with frescoes, most of which have been destroyed. Fortunately, two old icons have been preserved: Christ and Panagia Odigitria from the 16th century and Panagia Chordakiotissa from 1853. In times of drought, the inhabitants used to make a procession with the icon, which is considered a rainmaker. On the coastal front of Sotira, you will find the picturesque chapel of Ayia Thekla, built on a rock by the sea. Ruins of an early Christian Basilica with mosaics have been found on the site, but they are destroyed. Near the chapel is the Catacomb of Ayia Thekla (Roman period), a carved, underground church.
GPS:
Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour https://maps.app.goo.gl/H4G6HiCLVFNTHdA49
Ayios Mamas https://maps.app.goo.gl/r64XCvbXFfYvkxGEA
Ayios Georgios Chortakion https://maps.app.goo.gl/164N4d5Tp25U1bZx8
Ayios Theodoros Chortakion https://maps.app.goo.gl/3VQNfBB61eV53qPT7
Panagia Chordakiotissa https://maps.app.goo.gl/1ck8GTg7WXRKtJtX8
Ayia Thekla https://maps.app.goo.gl/kZZPeDhjt6B9wFb97
Avgorou
In the centre of the village, next to the square, you will find the Church of Ayios Georgios, considered a building of the 10th to 12th century. It is stone-built, and inside, some frescoes are preserved, dating from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. Outside the village, is the Church of Ayios Georgios Teratsiotis, considered a 16th-century building. According to tradition, a monk in the area who studied the Bible was constantly disturbed by the devil. The monk persuaded the devil to work on uprooting a carob tree (terachia in the Cypriot dialect). By the time the devil finished uprooting, the monk had left the area and later returned to build the chapel.
GPS:
Ayios Georgios https://maps.app.goo.gl/fNrg2XUbJAt8Ho2cA
Ayios Georgios Teratsiotis https://maps.app.goo.gl/EuwsrNjZPU63jZMx5
Dasaki Achnas
In this small community, you will find the Church of Panagia Tracheias from the 15th century, a single-aisle church with an arched roof and the remains of a bell tower on its roof. Some old frescoes are preserved in a small niche, and there is also an icon of the Virgin Mary from 1550, which was in the church of Ayia Marina in occupied Achna.
GPS: https://maps.app.goo.gl/BMtzR6kHprHFXboTA
Liopetri
In the village square, you will see the picturesque Panagia Eleousa, a small church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, built in the 16th century. It is a single-aisle basilica with a dome. Over the years, several additions have been made to the church, with the largest recorded in 1868 and 1901. Frescoes also survive in the church.
GPS: https://maps.app.goo.gl/D5pMWJ8MupE6q3K88
Municipality of Paralimni Deryneia
Paralimni – Protaras
In the centre of Paralimni, in the square with the three churches, you will find an old church dedicated to Ayios Georgios, built in 1859 on the site of an older Byzantine church. Parts of the older church were preserved and incorporated into the newer one. There, you will see the fresco of Ayios Georgios Draconocyton and icons dating back to the 19th century. The carved wooden iconostasis was made in 1869 by the woodcarver Paraskevas Alagiotis.
One of the most emblematic places in Protaras is the stone chapel of Prophet Elias, set on a steep rock. It is Byzantine in style, and to visit it, you have to climb 153 steps. But the view will mesmerize you and is certainly worth the effort. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary is the chapel of Panagiotissa, also in Protaras, built at the beginning of the 20th century and recently renovated. During the restoration works, antiquities from the Hellenistic period were found. Outside the chapel, a wonderful area with animals and birds has been created. In a natural cave, hidden in the Fanou forest, you will find the Ayioi Saranda chapel. Above the cave is a stone dome with fragments of hagiographies dating back to the 12th century. Dedicated to the patron saint of sailors, Ayios Nikolaos, is the seaside chapel located in a fishing shelter in the area of Pernera. It is a picturesque chapel in white and blue and offers a wonderful view.
GPS:
Ayios Georgios https://maps.app.goo.gl/Z7QAA6zW6AwHk8aa7
Prophet Elias https://maps.app.goo.gl/aa7PYQjtXsJCVgGW8
Panagiotissa https://maps.app.goo.gl/L9pA3QgG23opFqzT6
Ayioi Saranda https://maps.app.goo.gl/pkUCXafwCbr1Ba1L8
Ayios Nikolaos https://maps.app.goo.gl/koev4KVoZi2yLfuo6
Deryneia
In the central square of Deryneia, you will find the old Byzantine chapel dedicated to Ayios Georgios, dating from the 15th to 16th century. Inside, you will admire the carved wooden gilded iconostasis of the 16th century and a large fresco depicting St. George on horseback, framed by small images of his martyrdom. In the centre of Deryneia, there is also the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Its construction dates to the end of the 15th or beginning of the 16th century. Inside, the church is adorned with a wooden carved iconostasis from 1911. On it you will find icons from the 18th century, perhaps even earlier. A most important monument of Byzantine heritage, presumably built in the 12th century, is the Church of Ayia Marina. After the Turkish invasion, the church remains mute in the UN-controlled Buffer Zone. On the feast day of the saint on July 17 every year, the faithful, accompanied by a United Nations military guard, go there to attend mass and pray.
GPS
Ayios Georgios https://maps.app.goo.gl/nMJMk5328rMh5Lpf9
Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary https://maps.app.goo.gl/qFejsN4MkXCgr6e3A
Ayia Marina https://maps.app.goo.gl/x3cxH9wvsGFRkBPs6
Frenaros
In the centre of the village, you will find the old Church of Archangel Michael, dating back to the 12th century. Of its frescoes, only the one of Archangel Michael, depicted in a 19th-century icon, has survived. Equally important is the Church of Ayios Andronicous and Ayia Athanasia, built in the 12th century. Today, some of the frescoes that used to exist in the dome, depicting the Ascension of the Lord and the Virgin Mary, are preserved. Outside the village, you will find Panagia Asprovouniotissa of the 15th century, where some frescoes have survived, such as the Crucifixion of Christ, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and Ayia Paraskevi.
GPS:
Church of Archangel Michael https://maps.app.goo.gl/TFjrM1T288YiT5Y46
Ayios Andronicous and Agia Athanasia https://maps.app.goo.gl/qYtTnuWXhXoQxsVdA
Panagia Asprovouniotissa https://maps.app.goo.gl/ztnuvSjXHNb3aCYH6
Acheritou / Vrysoules
One of the most picturesque churches you will find in the area is Ayios Georgios of Pigadia. A small single-aisled Byzantine chapel with a dome, its frescoes have been almost completely destroyed, and some of those that survive are indistinguishable.
GPS: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Fnm99Qg28FZj7EZ46
Ecclesiastical Museums
The deep faith of the people of the area and the long religious history of the Famagusta Region are reflected in the two church museums that you should definitely visit!
Museum of Ayia Anna – Paralimni: Located in the centre of Paralimni in an ancient Byzantine church dedicated to Ayia Anna, this museum was declared by the Department of Antiquities in 1985 and houses fascinating ecclesiastical exhibits.
GPS Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/akbLWKSVgpGKmv1g7?g_st=ic
Ecclesiastical Museum – Sotiras: Situated in the chapel of Ayios Georgios, this museum showcases important ecclesiastical treasures, including holy icons, old printed Gospels, liturgical books, crosses, and vessels. The chapel itself is a stone building, and among its most important exhibits are the 16th-century wooden antimension and the 12th-century fresco of St. Elpidophorus.
