Stavrovouni, the Holy Cross monastery on its peak

Stavrovouni can be seen from many parts of Larnaca district, a monastery perched on a lonely peak. It’s one of the holiest places in Cyprus and, a warning from the outset, only men can go inside.

Where it is

The monastery sits on a rocky peak 750 m above sea level, about 40 km from Larnaca by road and 9 km off the motorway between Nicosia and Limassol. The Larnaca Tourism Board describes it as the mountain overlooking the whole district. The main photo shows it on its summit, seen from the path.

The legend of St Helena

Legend says it was founded in the 4th century by St Helena, mother of the emperor Constantine, who is said to have left a piece of the True Cross on the mountain. The board’s history adds that she passed through the area in 326 AD carrying the cross from Jerusalem to Constantinople. 11th-century texts already mention pilgrims climbing to St Helena’s church on the mountain to venerate the wooden relic, and from the 13th century sources refer to a monastery named after the Holy Cross.

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Decline and revival

In the 19th century, during the hard years of Ottoman rule, the monastery declined. In 1882 the Cypriot elder Dionysios Christidis came from Mount Athos with a small group of monks and in 1889 settled permanently at Stavrovouni, reopening it as a community. Since then it has been rebuilt from the ground up and expanded, and the board calls it the «Holy Mount» of Cyprus.

Visiting rules

Women may not enter the monastery. They can stay in the shop by the gate and walk over to the little All Saints chapel, pictured in the gallery. Men must be suitably dressed, and cameras are allowed. Entry is free and it’s wheelchair accessible.

In winter, from September to March, visits run from 7:00 to 11:00 and again after lunch, 14:00 to 17:00. From April to August the morning stretches to 12:00 and the afternoon runs from 15:00 to 19:00. There are no visits on public holidays.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Stavrovouni Monastery on GetYourGuide.

Agia Varvara and Panagia Stazousa

Lower down the slope, Agia Varvara welcomes men and women alike, and its monks have a name as icon painters. The Stavrovouni community also cares for Panagia Stazousa, a 14th-century Gothic monastery on the dirt track from Klavdia to Pyrga.

Nearby villages

Pyrga, with the royal chapel of St Catherine, is about 4.4 km away as the crow flies and Kornos, the village of red clay pottery, about 5. The island’s other monasteries are in monasteries in Cyprus. The board also offers a virtual Route of St Helena and the Holy Cross, covering the places she visited in the district.

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If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Larnaca for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.