Church of Stavros and Church of Panayia

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Church of Stavros

   High in the Troodos mountains of Cyprus, in a quiet valley below the village of Platanistasa, stands a small church with a steep, pitched timber roof that comes almost to the ground, making it look more like a barn than a place of worship. This is Stavros tou Agiasmati, the Church of the Holy Cross, and inside it holds some of the finest late Byzantine frescoes on the island, painted in 1494 by Philip Goul, an artist whose name is recorded in a dedicatory inscription. The scenes from the life of Christ and the legend of the True Cross, rich in colour and detail, cover every wall. The church is one of ten painted churches in the Troodos region listed by UNESCO.

   Read the complete Church of Stavros write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Church of Stavros is where the day begins. Next is Church of Timios Stavros.

2. 2. Church of Timios Stavros

   The painted churches of the Troodos mountains look plain from outside. Squat stone boxes with steep timber roofs, built that way to shed the snow, they hide inside some of the finest Byzantine frescoes in the Mediterranean, and nine of them were listed by UNESCO in 1985, with a tenth added later. The Church of Timios Stavros, the Holy Cross, at Pelendri, is one of the group, with frescoes from the fourteenth century that show scenes of the life of Christ, in the dark blues and ochres of the period, and an interior lit by only a little daylight so that the figures seem to glow.

   Read the complete Church of Timios Stavros write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Church of Timios Stavros comes up about 27 km into the recorded legs. Next is Church of Panayia.

3. 3. Church of Panayia

   The churches of the Troodos mountains look, from outside, like barns. In the high, cool country of the island's interior, where snow can fall in winter, builders covered their churches with a second, steeply pitched timber roof of tiles to protect the older domed buildings underneath, and the result is a plain, sturdy exterior that gives no hint of the paintings within. Inside, walls and ceilings are covered with Byzantine frescoes, some from the eleventh century and later, showing saints, angels and scenes of the life of Christ in rich, deep colours. Ten of these churches are listed by UNESCO.

   Read the complete Church of Panayia write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 46 km into the recorded legs you reach Church of Panayia. Next is back through Church of Timios Stavros.

4. 4. back through Church of Timios Stavros

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Church of Timios Stavros write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Church of Timios Stavros, late in the day. Next is Church of Stavros.

5. 5. Church of Stavros

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Church of Stavros write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Church of Stavros. That is the ride.