Day Tour To Troodos Mountains

Drive to Troodos mountains. Range raises its highest peak to 1951m sea level. Nestled in the Troodos Mountains are some of the most beautiful hill resorts on the island with mountain streams and picturesque villages. The first stop to the best-known monastery of Cyprus Kykkos was founded in 1100 and dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Then we drive to Kakopetria and Galata famous for their Byzantine churches and their traditional architecture. You will visit the Church of Agios Nikolaos Tis Stegis and the Church of Panagia Poddithou. Then you have lunch at a traditional tavern with local dishes and finally, we stop at Omodhos a wine-producing village to visit one winery and see the Holy Cross Church.

More About Kykkos Monastery:

The Holy Monastery of the Virgin of Kykkos was founded around the end of the 11th century by the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos (1081–1118). The monastery lies at an altitude of 1318 meters on the northwest face of the Troödos Mountains. There are no remains of the original monastery as it was burned down many times.

The first President of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios III started his ecclesiastical career there as a monk in 1926. He remained fond of the place and returned there many times. His request to be buried there materialized after his death in 1977. His tomb lies 3 km west of Kykkos monastery and remains a popular visitor destination.

Throughout the centuries locals have revered the icon and have attributed miracles to its presence. In 1760 a success in the struggle against locust devastation, a frequent problem of the time, was believed to be the work of the icon. The icon has also served as a template for other paintings depicting the Madonna in Eastern Orthodoxy.

Kykkos monastery maintains separate grounds in Engomi, Nicosia called Metochi Tou Kykkou. The land on which it lies was acquired over the years by the monastery through bequests. With the city's rapid expansion, the area which once used to be on the outskirts has now become prime property. Despite this, much of it is still used for agricultural purposes. Up until the construction of its purpose-built premises, the Cyprus State Fair was held on these grounds.