Agios Irakleidios Convent, at the foot of Tamassos

Agios Irakleidios Convent barely features in guidebooks, which is exactly why I think it makes the best finish to a morning of archaeology. It stands next to the village of Politiko, south-west of Nicosia, a short walk from the royal tombs of Tamassos. What follows comes from the Metropolis it belongs to and from the Nicosia Tourism Board.

A convent of nuns

The Metropolis of Tamassos and Oreini, the Church of Cyprus diocese for this area, lists it as the Holy Monastery of Agios Irakleidios, next to the village of Politiko. It’s a women’s community, headed by Abbess Prodromi, with around thirty nuns and two novices, going by the list it publishes. The same page gives its phone number, 22 623 950, its postal address in Nicosia and its feast day, 17 September.

For me that’s the most useful detail on the page, because it’s a reminder that this is a living convent, not an empty monument, so turn up dressed modestly and respect its routine, which no official source publishes. I’d ring first, ideally a day or two before, rather than just turning up at the gate.

The first bishop of Tamassos

The name comes from the saint. English Wikipedia, which I cite as a secondary source, says Irakleidios was born in Tamassos in the 1st century, travelled with Paul and Barnabas on their journey through Cyprus and was ordained the city’s first bishop. It adds that the present church was rebuilt in the 18th century. With no official source to confirm them, treat those dates with care.

What’s beyond doubt is how close the ancient city is. Between the convent and the Tamassos ruins there’s only around 1.5 km, and Politiko, with 420 residents at the 2021 census, less than 2.

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

By bike between the bishopric and the dam

The Nicosia Tourism Board puts the convent on its cycling routes in the area. The shortest, aimed at families and mountain bikes, starts at the seat of the Metropolis, beside two churches, one Russian and one Romanian, passes the Tamassos site and the convent, and carries on through pines and olive groves to the Tamassos Dam before finishing via Kampia and Pera Orinis. The board rates it as easy, mostly on dirt tracks, ridden anticlockwise in around 50 to 60 minutes. The second, longer route climbs to Machairas Monastery.

Getting there

From Nicosia it’s about 18 km south-west in a straight line, and by car it links up well with Tamassos and, higher up, Fikardou. If monasteries are your thing, the rest are in my guide to monasteries in Cyprus. I’d sleep in Nicosia, which keeps the drive short and leaves the afternoon free for the capital’s old town.

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

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

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