Metamorfosis tou Sotiros, the Transfiguration above Palaichori

The Transfiguration church at Palaichori was the last to join the UNESCO group of painted churches, and it’s also one of the hardest to find open. Both things make it special. To tell its story I draw on ANETroodos, UNESCO and a cycling route described by the Nicosia Tourism Board.

On a hill

Heading east from Palaichori, a church appears on a hilltop overlooking the village. This is Metamorfosis tou Sotiros, from the 16th century. UNESCO lists it as the Church of Ayia Sotira (Transfiguration of the Savior), Palaichori, among the painted churches of Troodos, and places it in Nicosia district.

The last to arrive

The company explains it was the only one of the ten inscribed in 2000, and the Nicosia Tourism Board calls it World Heritage since that year. UNESCO, for its part, dates the change to the property’s boundaries to 2001. Whatever the exact year, it clearly joined after the other nine, inscribed in 1985.

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The paintings

Inside is Byzantine art of great significance, in the company’s words, by an unknown painter who blended Western influences with those of the Palaiologan period, the last era of the Byzantine Empire. I haven’t found a detailed description of its scenes in official sources, so I’ll leave it there.

Very short hours

This is the tricky part. The company lists it as open only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 10:00 to 13:00, and offers two numbers for information, +357 99 974 230 and +357 99 793 362. According to UNESCO, getting in costs nothing. If your trip doesn’t match those days, it’s best to call ahead in case there’s another option, as the numbers are there precisely for visitors asking about access.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Transfiguration church, Palaichori and choose by the reviews.

What’s around it

Palaichori, at 930 metres and split by the Serrachis river, offers much more than this church. A restored house holds its Byzantine heritage museum, and the basement of another keeps the hideout Grigoris Afxentiou used during the EOKA struggle. Just over a kilometre away lies Askas, a valley hamlet with a 16th-century church of St John the Baptist.

How I’d slot it in

I’d plan a Pitsilia trip to be in Palaichori on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning. Then I’d see the village’s Byzantine museum and Afxentiou’s hideout and have lunch there. In the afternoon I’d go up to Lagoudera for Panagia tou Araka, which stays open until 17:30. That way you see two of the area’s four UNESCO churches in one day. The church also features on the Nicosia Tourism Board’s Orinis 1 cycling route, which passes mountain villages such as Alona and offers several high viewpoints over the forest and Nicosia.

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Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Agros before prices climb.