Kykkos Monastery (Ιερά Μονή Κύκκου ), which lies 20 km west of Pedoulas, is one of the wealthiest and best-known monasteries in Cyprus.
The Holy Monastery of the Virgin of Kykkos was founded around the end of the 11th century by the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos (1081–1118). The monastery lies at an altitude of 1318 meters on the north west face of Troödos Mountains. There are no remains of the original monastery as it was burned down many times.
The first President of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios III started his ecclesiastical career there as a monk in 1926. He remained fond of the place and returned there many times. His request to be buried there materialized after his death in 1977. His tomb lies 3 km west of Kykkos monastery and remains a popular visitor destination.
Tomb of Archbishop Makarios III
And yes, the Gold is Gold!
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Ian, once again you bring back some great memories for me. The Kykkos monastery is an interesting site to visit. Cyprus was the only place I have been where I was able to ski in January up at Troodos one weekend and scuba dive the next weekend in Limassol. Another site worth the visit to is the ruins of the Bellapais Abbey, on the Turkish northern part of the island. It is south of Kyrenia and has amazing views of the northern coastal plains of Cyprus.
Thanks for the amazing blog.