Nine Byzantine churches in the Troodos
mountains, are included in the
oficial UNESCO list of cultural treasures of the World's heritage:
Stavros tou Ayiasmati, Panayia tou Araka, Timiou
Stavrou at
Pelendri, Ayios Nikolaos tis Stegis, Panayia
Podithou, Assinou, Ayios loannis Lampadistis, Panayia tou Moutoula,
and Archangel
Michael at
Pedhoulas.
The impressive Troodos mountain range stretches across most of the western side
of
Cyprus,
offering cool sanctuary and idyllic hours spent in long walks in its scented pine forests in summer
and
winter sports and ski-ing in
winter.
Here are the many famous mountain resorts, Byzantine
monasteries and churches
on mountain peaks, and nestling in
its valleys and picturesque mountain villages
clinging to terraced hill
slopes.
The area has been known since ancient times
for its mines, and in
the Byzantine period it became a great
centre of Byzantine art, as churches and monasteries were built in the
mountains, away from the threatened
coastline.
The Cyprus Tourism Organisation has a leaflet for
the unique Nature
Walks, which have been created by
the Forestry Department in co-operation wlth the Cyprus
Tourism Organisation at Troodos itself,
with full details of the rich
profusion of flora and fauna found on
these very attractive walks, which attract many visitors every
year.
In the
Troodos mountain range,
besides Machairas to the east, and the actual Troodos district around Mount Olympus
(height 1951
metres),
there are four other districts, each of which has its own character and separate charm.
These districts
are:
- Pitsillia to the east of Mount Olympus,
- Solea Valley and
the
- Marathassa
Valley to the north of Mount Olympus, and
- Krassochoria (the Wine
Villages) to the south (north-west of the Limassol
district).
These districts are easy to
reach from
either Limassol or Nicosia.
See places of interest in
Troodos |
