Agios Ioannis Lampadistis, a monastery of several churches

If the other painted churches are single chapters, Lampadistis is a whole book. It isn’t one church but a group of churches built over seven centuries, facing Kalopanayiotis. I describe it by combining UNESCO, the Troodos Development Company, very thorough on each building, and the Nicosia Tourism Board, which covers the museum.

A monastery above the river

The monastery clings to the slope of the Marathasa valley, above the Setrachos river, looking across at the village of Kalopanayiotis. The company explains that its buildings range from the 11th to the 18th centuries, each one added to the complex over time. UNESCO, in its official description of the painted churches of Troodos, gives it as an example of the property’s major monasteries, as opposed to small rural churches. The Nicosia Tourism Board dates it to the Byzantine era, between the 13th and 17th centuries, a different range worth bearing in mind.

What you’ll see

Beneath the church of Agios Ioannis Lampadistis, the saint’s remains are kept in a 12th-century silver reliquary. Beside it stands the church of Agios Irakleidios, from the 11th century, with an old wooden templon and remarkable frescoes. And the artistic gem is the Latin chapel, which according to the company holds the most complete series of Italo-Byzantine painting in Cyprus, evidence of Italian influence on the island.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Kalopanayiotis before prices climb.

The Byzantine museum

Next to the monastery, the Byzantine museum opened in 2000 and gathers restored icons and religious objects recovered from the monastery itself and other churches and chapels around Kalopanayiotis. According to the Nicosia Tourism Board, it opens daily on hours that change with the season, 10:00 to 15:30 in October and November, and with a 1 euro ticket. The phone number is +357 99 218 298.

Church opening hours

On the hours, the company’s two pages contradict each other. The UNESCO heritage page gives Monday to Saturday, mornings 9:00 to 13:00 and afternoons from 14:00 until 18:00, with a second version closing at 16:00, probably the winter one. The valley page instead says mornings 9:00 to 13:00 and afternoons 16:00 to 18:00, every day. I’d go in the morning, which all versions share, and check in the village. The church charges no entry, according to UNESCO.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Agios Ioannis Lampadistis and choose by the reviews.

The village opposite

After the visit it’s worth crossing into the village. The company describes restored stone houses on the hillside, lanes bright with carnations and a watermill, the Kykkos mill, listed by the Antiquities Department as a pre-industrial monument near the river.

Getting there and fitting it in

Between the village and the monastery is a 16th-century Venetian bridge, which the company describes as the traditional way in, and crossing it is the best way to arrive. I’d start the Marathasa valley churches day here, carry on to Moutoullas and finish in Pedoulas. Sleeping in Kalopanayiotis lets you be at the monastery first thing.

A car frees you from timetables: search car hire in Limassol on DiscoverCars and compare companies.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Kalopanayiotis before prices climb.