AGIOS NEOPHYTOS MONASTERY

Set at the foot of a cliff in a verdant valley, this Greek Orthodox monastery (Ιερά Μονή Αγίου Νεοφύτου/Iera Moni Agiou Neofitou) is one of the most renowned in Cyprus. Dedicated to the Holy Cross, it was founded in 1170 by the Cypriot saint Neophyte the Reclus. For sixty years, he dug into the rock, first on his own, from 1159, then with his disciples, to create the Enklistra. This astonishing troglodyte structure houses a chapel decorated with frescoes by the great Byzantine painter Theodoros Apsevdis in the ^12th century. Still occupied by monks, the complex houses a ^16th-century church and a rich ecclesiastical museum. Both monk and hermit, Saint Neophytus the Recluse (1134-1219) has been canonized by most Orthodox churches as a "great ascetic". Along with St Barnabas, he is the most important Cypriot saint. He was also one of the main chroniclers of the Crusaders' conquest of the island from 1191.

Enklistra and museum. The most spectacular part is, of course, the Enklistra. Accessible via a staircase, this hermitage houses the tomb of Saint Neophyte and a troglodyte church decorated by Apsevdis between 1183 and 1187. Some of the frescoes were repainted in the ^15th century. Then, in the museum, you'll discover a superb collection of icons, including the Panagia Eleousa, painted by Apsevdis under the patronage of St. Neophyte: against a gilded background, the artist broke away from the classical representation of the Eleousa ("Mother of Tenderness"), since the Virgin is here without the Child. The painter has followed the model of the Ectenie ("Supplication"), with Mary in prayer, hands open, while inscribing the term "Eleousa". The tender gestures evoke the invisible presence of Christ. In the third room, note the icon of the Panagia de l'Enklistra. Dating from the early ^16th century and framed by its carved wooden throne, it belongs to the Vrefokratousa ("holding the Child") genre. It is the work of Theophylactos, who is also responsible for the frescoes in the church of Panagia Theotokos in Kalopetria (1514), on the Troodos. The fifth room features amphorae and pottery from the ^10th-6th centuries BC, from the necropolis of Anatolikon, near Paphos airport. One of the oldest pieces is a magnificent vase with red and black stripes and concentric circles typical of Cypriot geometric art.