Island Hopping 2024: Cyprus, Troodos Mountains, Painted Church.

The Troodos Mountains, now forming the backbone of this island, were submerged beneath the oceans of antiquity.  The process of sea floor spreading had supplied the ocean floor crust to build these mountains.  Then the process reversed as the African Plate slammed into the European Plate causing the Troodos to uplift.  As the uplift continued the ancient ocean was squeezed out of existence.  Millions of years later, the Mediterranean Sea formed around Cyprus making it an island and making the Troodos that used to be part of the ocean floor crust and now soar high above the island.

Today we are going to see the results of the epic battle of continental plates.  Our travel plan takes us winding up the enchanting roads of the Troodos Mountains, a scenic escapade through Cyprus's elevated heart. The air gets crisper, and the vistas more panoramic as we ascend.  We were surprised at one point to be driving through a pine forest. 

View of the foothills on the way to Moutoula 

View down a valley towards the Mediterranean

A country Greek Orthodox Church and Graveyard

This small town was in the mountains of the Troodos

A big church in Limassol, before turning up into the mountains

View from the pine forest of the mountains

The roads were windy and steep, but they were in very good condition

Our destination was the quaint village of Moutoula, where time seems to slow down amidst the Troodos peaks. The roads were implausibly narrow and always going up steeply or down steeply, never just flat.  With a little effort and maybe some trespassing we found the Panagia tou Moutoula Painted Church, a hidden gem adorned with tales from Byzantine artistry.

These people are on their way to heaven

These, going the other way

Most every surface was painted.  These were painted (frescoed) in 1280, 200+ years before Columbus sailed to the Americas!

Modern painting on the left, original fresco on the right.  The Greek Orthodox represent Christ as the Pantocrator, the ruler of all, emphasizing His role as the cosmic King and Judge versus the Roman Catholic depiction of him as the man suffering on the cross. 

Entering the church is like stepping into a living canvas. The frescoes, though weathered by time, paint vibrant stories of faith and devotion. We were amazed that these paintings were unrestored and not protected in any way, the church not any larger than a one car garage was unlocked and unattended, Sandy and I were the only ones there for the bulk of our time there.  This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and I thought they would been encased in glass or something.  In actuality I could reach out and touch the frescoes with my hand.  We were prepared for this to be a significant site, but standing here, surrounded by ancient whispers, is an experience beyond words.

This is not the church building, it is the building that covers the church

Unesco Certification

The Troodos Mountains play their part as the ultimate backdrop. From the church steps, we're treated to a postcard-worthy panorama. It's as if the mountains themselves are part of the congregation.  The attached cemetery with pictures of the deceased made it all very personal.

A tiny graveyard outside the Painted Church

Viewing down into the city we can see the new Church

The view of the Mountains from the graveyard

Before descending from this mountain haven, we drove as high as we could on Cyprus’ Mount Olympus where we were astonished to find a ski run.  Finally we returned to our apartment through Troodos' undulating terrain, a landscape stitched with vineyards and some olive trees.  Our drive home took us through the very busy city of Limassol, making Sandy and I ever more pleased with our little fishing village of Zygi as our home base. 

From Mount Olympus looking "down" on the clouds