ARCHANGELOS MIHAIL DE PEDOULAS CHURCH

Built between 1472 and 1474, this small Greek Orthodox church dedicated to the Archangel Michael (Ιερός Ναός Αρχαγγέλου ↪Lu_39ιχαήλ/Ieros Naos Archangelou Mihail, Archangelos Michael Church) is barely noticeable among the houses of Pedoulas. Yet it's one of the ten painted churches on the Troodos that have been declared a Unesco World Heritage Site. With no steeple and modest dimensions (7.26 x 3.36 m inside), it is distinguished by its asymmetrical roof, the north-western slope of which plunges almost into the ground. This extension was used as a prayer room for women. Inside, under the wooden framework, the frescoes were painted in 1474 by a certain Minas, a local artist from the Marathasa valley. They are relatively well preserved, with the notable exception of the Crucifixion and Ascension scenes, which have completely disappeared. Above the doorway appear the donors: the priest Vasilios Hamados, his wife and their two daughters offer the church in miniature to the Archangel Michael. A huge portrait of the archangel is painted to the east of the entrance. The rest of the program is organized on two levels: portraits of saints in the lower register, and cycles from the life of the Virgin and the Passion of Christ above.

Latin arms, Byzantine boots. The pictorial style here is close to that of the Macedonian school, the last great artistic movement of the Byzantine era. In the scene of the Virgin's Nativity, note the young girl carrying a disproportionately large vase. In the scene of Christ's Presentation in the Temple, the Virgin's joyful face is a rarity in Byzantine iconography. In the Betrayal scene (the "Judas kiss"), the Roman soldiers wear Crusader-style armor and weapons, while their boots and shoes are Byzantine elements. Other unusual details include the rich marble sarcophagus decorated with masks and leaves in the Deploration of Christ, and the white garment worn by Jesus in the Resurrection scene. Finally, while the small wooden iconostasis has lost its icons, it retains the engraved symbols of two antagonistic powers: the Byzantine Empire's double-headed eagle and the Lusignan lion. You can continue your visit at the large white church of Timios Stavros, 150 m to the south-west. Dating from 1935, it houses several ancient icons, including two by the painter Minas.