Paphos Byzantine Museum, now the Ecclesiastical Museum in Geroskipou

Go looking for the Paphos Byzantine Museum in the town centre and you’re in for a surprise. The Metropolis of Paphos moved it out of town to Geroskipou, beside one of the oldest churches on the island, and gave it a new name. Here’s where it is, what it holds and why it’s worth the detour if you like icons.

Where it is now

The Metropolis of Paphos explains that the museum moved to Geroskipou and became the Ecclesiastical Museum of the Holy Metropolis of Paphos. It sits beside the church of Agia Paraskevi, in the building that used to house the village primary school. In his 2017 opening speech, the Metropolitan said that after years in temporary homes, mainly the Leontios Library and the Metropolis itself, the collection had at last found a permanent one. So anyone looking for it in the Paphos old town today won’t find it.

The building is neoclassical, with newer rooms added, and the land belonged to the church of Agia Paraskevi. Geroskipou council leased it for a hundred years, and the church committee paid for the works, which came to about €800,000. The Leventis Foundation contributed €24,000 for display cases and icon conservation.

What can you see in the Paphos Byzantine Museum?

The piece that justifies the trip is the icon of Agia Marina, double-sided, showing the saint in prayer framed by scenes of her martyrdom. According to the Metropolis, it’s the oldest icon in Cyprus and the only one from before Iconoclasm, dating from the 7th to 8th century. It comes from the church of Agia Marina at Filousa Kelokedaron, a village in the district.

The rest of the icon collection runs from the 12th to the 19th century. There are also 6th-century metal liturgical objects, shown here for the first time, such as a lamp, oil lamps, a censer and a candlestick, plus later mitres, reliquaries, chalices and crosiers. One of these belonged to Metropolitan Meletios of Ephesus and dates from 1764.

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Frescoes, embroidery and books

One room displays 11th and 12th-century frescoes brought from ruined churches, Agios Theodoros at Choulou and Agios Georgios at Koili. There’s woodcarving too, such as iconostasis doors, crosses, a throne and crucifixes, and a collection of gold-embroidered vestments from the 18th and 19th centuries, with a 19th-century epitaphios.

The books are what catch my eye most. There are gospels of 1462 and 1604, a 15th-century hymnal, firmans from 1853 and Byzantine music books. The Metropolis also produces a museum leaflet in six languages.

How to get there and what else is nearby

Geroskipou is about 3 km east of central Paphos. By bus, Pafos Buses routes 601, 612 and 613 pass through, and the 606 links it with Kato Paphos harbour. The 9th-century, five-domed church of Agia Paraskevi is right next to the museum, and the village also has the Folk Art Museum. I couldn’t find the Ecclesiastical Museum’s opening hours on the Metropolis pages, so check before you go. For religious art across the island, see religion in Cyprus. To carry on with the island’s museums, see museums in Cyprus.

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