Panagia tou Araka, the great Byzantine church of Pitsilia

Ask me for a single painted church in Cyprus and I’ll name this one. Panagia tou Araka packs into a small space one of the finest collections of Byzantine painting on the island, and its opening hours make a visit easy. I go through what UNESCO’s entry, the ANETroodos pages and, for the trail, the Nicosia Tourism Board say about it.

A church among the pines

Panagia tou Araka rises among pines and mountains, between the villages of Lagoudera and Saranti, in the Pitsilia area. It was built in the 12th century and was once a monastery. UNESCO lists it as Panayia (The Virgin) tou Arakou, at Lagoudhera, among the ten painted churches of Troodos.

The frescoes of 1192

Step inside and it’s the paintings covering the walls that strike you, each telling a biblical story. The company explains that Leon Afthentis paid for them in 1192 and that they were painted in late Comnenian style, from the closing years of the Comnenian dynasty. And it adds what justifies the detour, that they are the most complete middle Byzantine collection you can see in Cyprus.

The church also housed two important icons, one of Christ and one of the Virgin Arakiotissa, painted by Theodoros Apsevdis in the late 12th century.

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When to go in

It’s one of the easiest to visit. The company gives hours of 9:00 to 17:30 every day except Monday. Like the others of the property, UNESCO notes there’s no entry charge and that it remains a place of worship, so dress suitably and keep your voice low.

Lagoudera and its mountain

The church lies outside Lagoudera, a village of 60 people perched at 1,000 metres below Madari, and the neighbouring Saranti, which had 22 at the 2021 census. The company counts Lagoudera among the island’s twenty highest villages. Above rises Madari, its Mount Adelfoi summit topped by a fire lookout, with trails running along the ridge.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Panagia tou Araka and pick one that fits your day.

A trail to Agiasmati

The Nicosia Tourism Board describes a trail of about 8 kilometres linking Araka with Stavros tou Agiasmati, another UNESCO church, with views of the Morphou plain and the Pentadaktylos and a high point of 1,164 metres. The company itself mentions a trail from Araka ending at the monastery of the Holy Cross of Agiasmati. It’s the loveliest way to see two of the great churches in a morning.

My suggestion for the visit

I’d stay in Agros, which has more choice, and reach Lagoudera first thing. Then I’d carry on to Platanistasa for Agiasmati, on foot or by car, and in the afternoon head down to Palaichori. Everything around it is in Pitsilia.

Where the bus does not go, a car does: compare car hire in Limassol before you arrive rather than at the desk.

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