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Monday, 23 March 2015

K stands for The Kykkos Monastery Cyprus.

Paphos Beach.

During one of our many holidays on the sunny Island of Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean we visited The Kykkos Monastery up in the Troodos mountains. 

At the time we were staying at the popular Paphos area, you will see Paphos on the bottom left of the map and The Troodos Mountains,  nearby where The Kykkos Monastery is situated.  

 

 

 

 


Outer entrance to the monastery.


Inner court entrance to the monastery.

The Kykkos Monastery looks quite ordinary from the outside but once you get to the inner sanctum the opulence is quite breath taking. It is the richest and most lavish in Cyprus, and is situated at an altitude of 1318 metres on the north west face of the Troodos Mountains . 

A row of icons where people line up an make their pleas then kiss the icon.

Mosaic depiction of  The Virgin Mary with the child Jesus

 

 

 







 

 
 

                                                                             

Dedicated to Panagia, (a term for a particular type of icon of the Theotokas) The actual icon of The Virgin Mary is covered in silver gilt and is in a shrine made of tortoise shell and mother-of-pearl,  it stands  directly in front of the Iconostasis. It  is never looked at  and remains hidden behind a protective covering. It is said whoever looks at it will be blinded.

 

                                   The Troodos Mountains Cyprus.  

  


We stopped at this mountain village, (on the left)  for lunch, view to the right from where we were sitting.

 
 

Throughout the centuries the village people in the mountains have revered the icon and have attributed miracles to it's presence. It is said St Luke the Apostle painted and carried it from the Emperor's Palace in Constantinople at his request to place it on the site where the new                    Kykkos Monastery was to be commemorated. 



St Luke carrying the icon.


 



 There is a lot of folk lore associated with the 'icon of The Virgin Mary', but time and space disallows me from writing more, but good old 'Mr Wikpedia' is bustin' at the seams with reams of it  should you require to read further!
 
My thanks to the KINDLY Denise for devising ABCW and Roger the KEYSTONE admin man for KEEPING us on our toes. 
Best wishes to you all,
Di.....  ABCW team.
 

***



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41 comments:

  1. ellen b.23 March 2015 at 18:29

    What a wonderful place to visit. So much history. Thanks for the intro to K, Trubes!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trubes25 March 2015 at 09:07

      Hi Ellen, thanks for your kind words, It truly is a wonderful place to visit, there is so much more to tell, which, hopefully I will be able to at a later date!
      Best wishes,
      Di.
      ABCW team.

      Delete
  2. Roger Owen Green24 March 2015 at 08:00

    Thanks for this inspirartional piece, Di.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Roger Owen Green24 March 2015 at 08:00

    Thanks for this inspirartional piece, Di.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trubes25 March 2015 at 09:09

      Bless you Roger, you're so kind,

      Di xx
      ABCW team.

      Delete
  4. Nonnie24 March 2015 at 08:20

    The Greeks' icons have such deeply rich colors- so different from the soft colors we have in our parish church.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trubes25 March 2015 at 09:14

      Hi Norma, that's what I love about the Greek and Turkish culture, so much colour, not just in their art work
      but in their cuisine too, wonderful places to visit.

      Best wishes,
      Di,
      ABCW team.

      Delete
  5. Obsessivemom24 March 2015 at 09:06

    I read about icons in an earlier post by you, I think. This Monastery looks absolutely regal. The ones I've seen earlier were much more stark.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trubes25 March 2015 at 09:22

      Yes Tulika ,
      I am rather fond of icons. what delights me most is the amount of effort the artists must put in,
      to create such wonderful scenes bristling with so many rich colours.
      Best wishes,
      Di,
      ABCW team.

      Delete
  6. MERYL JAFFE, PhD - parent, psychologist, teacher, author...24 March 2015 at 09:30

    Nice! Adding it to my "to do/to see" list. Thank you to the entire ABCWednesday team. Have a great week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trubes25 March 2015 at 09:30

      Hi Meryl, thanks for your comments, I do hope you get to see the Monastery some time,
      well worth a visit, and the trip up the mountains too, stunning scenery along the way.

      Best wishes,
      Di.
      ABCW team.

      Delete
  7. Arnoldo L. Romero, MLA24 March 2015 at 14:58

    I love iconography, and have painted 5 plus one that's a work in progress. They're not just beautiful and inspirational to look at, but the process of working on them is very reflective. Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trubes25 March 2015 at 09:42

      Hello Ronoldo, good to hear from you again.
      I thought I may have seen an icon amongst your art work, I must pop over to your site and take another look!

      best wishes,
      Di.
      ABCW team.

      Delete
  8. Beloo Mehra24 March 2015 at 18:57

    Thanks for this informative post. The icons look beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trubes25 March 2015 at 09:45

      Hi Beloo,
      the icons are truly stunning, so much work and so much colour,
      best wishes,
      Di.
      ABCW team.

      Delete
  9. Meoww24 March 2015 at 20:14

    Oh wow! Didn't know monasteries could hold such treasures inside!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trubes25 March 2015 at 09:51

      Me too , Meow,
      quite a shock when we got inside, so breathtakingly beautiful.

      Best wishes,
      Di,
      ABCW team,

      Delete
  10. ChrisJ24 March 2015 at 21:03

    Having trouble with ABC links, Trubes. ChrisJ

    ReplyDelete
  11. Roger Owen Green24 March 2015 at 23:48

    Chris - Trubes has no control over the links . I put in the code. I have noticed periodically - not just this week - that sometimes they are slow loading, but I don't know if that's a function of the Linky company or my slow computer!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Gattina24 March 2015 at 23:55

    Beautiful place to see !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trubes25 March 2015 at 09:54

      Truly Gattina , it was a wonderful day out.

      Best wishes,
      Di.
      ABCW team.

      Delete
  13. Anita Sabat25 March 2015 at 03:21

    Lovely place! Thanks for sharing the awesome pics & info :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trubes25 March 2015 at 09:58

      Thanks Anita glad you enjoyed it.
      Best wishes,
      Di.
      ABCW. team.

      Delete
  14. Melbourne Australia Photos25 March 2015 at 06:31

    Great post, and of course very topical for Lady Day, March 25. Also, not forgetting that Cyprus in Greek is ΚΥΠΡΟΣ and in Turkish KIBRIS.
    My "K" post is for KAYSERSBERG in France. Thanks for hosting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trubes25 March 2015 at 10:02

      Thanks Nick V.
      So sad the Greeks and the Turks still don't like each other, such lovely people too!

      Best wishes,
      Di,
      ABCW team.

      Delete
  15. My Desktop Daily25 March 2015 at 07:02

    Excellent post, kudos!
    My post is missing a KEY, I think Indrani has it...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trubes25 March 2015 at 10:07

      Nick Va..
      Glad you like it, I shall have to go searching for a key Now !
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Best wishes,
      ABCW team.

      Delete
  16. Su-sieee! Mac25 March 2015 at 12:11

    Very interesting! Opulence is so contrary to a vow of poverty, seemingly more so in a monastery.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trubes26 March 2015 at 02:18

      Su-sieee, I quite agree, but then it is a money making machine. The monks don't need worldly goods, they are totally self sufficient, farming their own land etc. They do, I believe have a vinery and make honey.
      It would be interesting to know where the proceeds of the monies raised go. I imagine a lot would be required to maintain the building etc.
      Best wishes,
      Di.
      DBCW team.

      Delete
  17. CherryPie25 March 2015 at 16:49

    You have brought back memories from my visit there.

    Thank you :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trubes26 March 2015 at 02:23

      Hi Cherie, thanks for dropping by,
      it is a lovely place I'd love to go back some day, sadly health issues disallow me from travelling so far now...
      It's good I've got so many lovely memories of all our travels,

      best wishes,
      Di,
      ABCW team.

      Delete
  18. Lmkazmierczak25 March 2015 at 18:42

    Great intro, really enjoyed learning about the icons♪

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trubes27 March 2015 at 02:28

      Thanks Laurie, glad you enjoyed reading about the icons, I find them most fascinating, it was a wonderful
      day out, the drive up through The Troodos mountains was breath taking
      and a bit hair raising too!
      best wishes,
      Di.
      ABCW team

      Delete
  19. Rosy25 March 2015 at 19:36

    Looks like a very pretty place, tho I never been there in person and just reading about it, it is so full of a rich history, thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trubes26 March 2015 at 02:27

      Fritz Ant, Thanks for dropping by and your kind comments.
      The history of the place is amazing and I will write more when the right letter or thought appears!

      best wishes,
      Di.
      ABCW team.

      Delete
  20. Carin Diaz25 March 2015 at 20:26

    Interesting and beautiful place to visit.

    http://www.36hourworkweek.com/2015/03/Court-teen.html

    ReplyDelete
  21. Trubes26 March 2015 at 02:04

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trubes27 March 2015 at 02:34

      Hi Karin, it certainly was a good day out and an experience not to be missed.est

      Best wishes,
      .
      Di.
      ABCW team.




      ot to be missed,

      b

      Delete
  22. Beverley Baird26 March 2015 at 11:53

    What gorgeous photos! Must have been such an interesting place to visit.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Beverley Baird26 March 2015 at 11:59

    What gorgeous photos! Must have been such an interesting place to visit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trubes27 March 2015 at 02:20

      Thanks Beverley, it was a most interesting place, we spent a day there and could really have spent longer.
      best wishes,

      Di.
      ABCW team

      Delete