CHURCH OF PANAGIA TIS ASINOU

Very simple in appearance, this Greek Orthodox church (Ιερός Ναός Παναγίας της Aσίνου/Ieros Naos Panagias tis Asinou) is one of ten painted churches on the Troodos listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. It features superb frescoes, the oldest of which date back to the building's construction in 1005-1006. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary and situated on a verdant hilltop above the small river Asinou, it was part of the Fovrion monastery (a name derived from the euphorbia plant found here in abundance) founded in 1099 and abandoned in the ^18th century. Thus, the church also bears the name Panagia Forviotissa/Παναγία Φορβιώτισσα. Entrance is via the narthex, which was added in the late ^12th century and repainted in a Latin-influenced style in 1332-1333. The main frescoes are those of the Last Judgment and the Blachernitissa (miraculous apparition of the Virgin Mary in the Blachernes district of Constantinople), known here as the "Forviotissa". In the pendant to the right of this "Forviotissa", note the two dogs attached and the mouflons in the distance: this is undoubtedly an allusion to the myth of the foundation of the prestigious Kykkos monastery, near Mylikouri.

Portrait of the donors. We then enter the nave, where only a few frescoes dating from 1106 remain. This is particularly the case in the western arch, above the entrance: the Panagia is surrounded by the two donors: Nikephoros Magistros, a wealthy Byzantine judge or tax officer, and his wife, who had the church built, probably as a private chapel. The eastern apsidal chapel also retains its ^12th-century decoration. It depicts the Communion of the Apostles: Jesus hands John a golden vase (symbolizing the "outpouring of God's Spirit" announced at the return of the Messiah), while Judas turns his back with the silver coin of his betrayal. The vault was repainted at an indeterminate period, between 1350 and 1450, with a vast cycle of Christ's life: Nativity, Presentation in the Temple, Baptism (with the personification of the River Jordan), Transfiguration, Judas' betrayal, Stations of the Cross, Crucifixion, Entombment, Resurrection and Anastasis ("rising"). This last scene, typical of Byzantine iconography, shows Jesus descending into Hell to fetch Adam and Eve. The couple is accompanied here by their "bad" son Cain: a mistake, since it's their "good" son Abel who should appear here.