Machairas Monastery
Μονή Μαχαιρά
A 12th-century Orthodox monastery on the eastern foothills of the Troodos. Its buildings on the forested hillside house a revered icon of the Virgin Mary.
Machairas Monastery was founded in 1148 in the pine forest on the eastern slopes of the Troodos Mountains, about 40 km southwest of Nicosia at an altitude of around 870 metres. Legend says a hermit found an icon of the Virgin Mary, believed to have been painted by the Apostle Luke, in a nearby cave, which led to the founding of the monastery. Most of the present buildings date from reconstruction after a fire in 1892. Inside the church, the iconostasis and mosaics gleam with gold. Nearby is the memorial to the hideout cave where Cypriot national hero Afxentiou died in 1957. Admission is free. Visitors should dress modestly, and group visits may have time limits.
Opening hours
Approx. 08:30-17:00 (some time slots for groups only)
Nearby sights
- Fikardou
- Tamassos
- Panagia Phorbiotissa (Asinou)
- A. G. Leventis Gallery
- Cyprus Museum
- Venetian Walls & Eleftheria Square
- Laiki Geitonia
- Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia