Panagia tou Moutoulla, frescoes of 1280 above Marathasa

Panagia tou Moutoulla is one of those churches that call for a small ritual. Turning up isn’t enough, you have to find whoever has the key. To me that’s part of the charm. My details come from UNESCO and from the heritage page kept by the Troodos Development Company.

Above the village

The church rises at the top of Moutoullas, a village stepped up the hillside at 800 metres, right in the Marathasa valley, with 126 residents at the 2021 census. UNESCO lists it as Panayia (The Virgin), Moutoullas, within the painted churches of Troodos property. The company describes it as a 13th-century stone church.

A date written on the wall

The most valuable thing is that we know exactly when it was made. On the north wall of the sanctuary, the bema, an inscription proves it was built in 1280. The frescoes around it date from the same year and, according to the company, are of immense value because they mix Byzantine, crusader and Italian influences. The image at the top of this page shows the donors, a custom repeated in several churches of the group.

At 1280, it’s one of the oldest painted churches in the valley, behind only the earliest buildings of Lampadistis Monastery.

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How to visit

There’s no ticket desk or posted hours here. The company says that to see it you ask for the key at the village coffee shop. My advice is to go at a sensible hour, ask politely and leave the church as you found it. Like the rest of the property, UNESCO gives it as free to visit, and it’s a church in use, so dress appropriately.

The village of water

While you’re there, it’s worth a wander round Moutoullas. The company describes it as a village famous for its water, with sulphur springs along the path that drops to the Baths of Rigena and Chlio, and a drinking water so prized that people came from afar to fill bottles. It also has other churches, such as Agia Paraskevi, the main one, and Profitis Ilias, with good views.

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Within the UNESCO property

UNESCO inscribed the group under its criteria (ii), (iii) and (iv), with a protected area of 3,693 hectares spread across ten churches. Moutoulla is one of the smallest, but its early date gives it special weight for understanding how painting began in the mountain churches, two centuries before the one at Pedoulas.

Its place in the day

I’d put it between the other two UNESCO churches of the Marathasa valley, after Lampadistis in the morning and before Archangelos Michael at Pedoulas, which stays open until 17:00. That way you see all three in a day without rushing.

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