Stavros tou Agiasmati, an interior painted from top to bottom

In some painted churches you hunt for what frescoes remain, and then there’s Stavros tou Agiasmati, where not a patch is left bare. That’s why, although getting in takes some organising, to me it’s worth every minute. What follows comes from UNESCO, from the ANETroodos heritage page and, for the trail and the museum, from the Nicosia Tourism Board.

A monastery among the greenery

The church of the Holy Cross of Agiasmati is set among greenery about five kilometres north-east of Platanistasa, a village of 70 people at 940 metres on the northern side of the Troodos. It went up in the late 15th century as a monastery church. A surviving inscription on the outer north wall says it went up with a donation from the priest Petros Peratis and was completed in 1494. He and his wife appear in a mural on the outer south wall, offering Christ a model of the church.

UNESCO inscribed it in 1985 within its painted churches of Troodos property.

Painted throughout

What sets it apart is the interior. The company explains that it’s painted all over, including the four posts holding up the roof, and that the frescoes are arranged in two tiers. Above are New Testament scenes crowded with figures, and below, single figures of saints. Its roof stands out too, rising above the body of the church and, according to the company, making it unique on the island.

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How to visit

There are no posted hours. The company says to ask for the custodian at the village coffee shop, and on another of its pages gives the number +357 99 514 179 to arrange a visit. I’d phone ahead or stop in Platanistasa before heading up. UNESCO notes that entry is free and that it’s a church in use.

A trail to Araka

If you like walking, there’s a trail of about 8 kilometres, according to the Nicosia Tourism Board, between this church and Panagia tou Araka, with a high point of 1,164 metres and views over the Morphou plain and the Pentadaktylos range. It crosses pine forest, vineyards and almond groves, which are in blossom in spring. That way you see two UNESCO churches in a single walk.

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

Platanistasa, the village

While you’re here, Platanistasa has a small museum of folk art, tradition and heritage by the square, with a working loom, a millstone and the tools of traditional olive mills and wineries, according to the Nicosia Tourism Board. The company adds that excavated tombs show the village has been lived in since ancient times, and that a bridge dedicated to Panagia stands to the south. For the rest of the area, see 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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