Author: Christos

Standing grandly at the west end of the town’s harbour, Pafos (Paphos) Castle (Medieval Fort) was originally a Byzantine fort built to protect the harbour, and was rebuilt by the Lusignans in the 13th century, but then dismantled by the Venetians. The Ottomans rebuilt it in the 16th century when they conquered the island. What survives today is the 1592 Ottoman restoration of the western Frankish tower with its Venetian additions. An inscription above the only entrance of the castle bears witness to this restoration.

The main part of the castle is a big square tower that has an enclosed courtyard in the middle. The ground floor consists of a central hall with small rooms on each of its two long sides, which were used as prison cells during Ottoman Rule. There are 12 battlements on the roof, which received a corresponding number of cannons. The Ottomans removed the cannons in 1878, when they handed over the administration of the island to the British, who used the castle as a salt store until 1935, when it was declared an Ancient Monument under the Antiquities Law.

The Medieval Castle of Paphos – Audio Guide 

Located close to Coral Bay resort, the settlement of Maa-Paleokastro is where the first ancient (Mycenaean) Greeks settled in 1200 BC after emigrating to the island following the fall of the Mycenaean Kingdoms in mainland Greece. As such, it is a very important site for Cyprus – as this is where the Hellenisation of the island started – and offers great insight on the end of the Late Bronze Age on the island.

Its name of ‘Paleokastro’ (‘old castle’ in Greek) comes from its imposing defensive walls that were always exposed. The fortifications of the settlement consist of two separate Cyclopean-style walls; the first wall protected the settlement from the land, and the second offered protection from the sea.

The little museum with its unusual architecture is the work of the Italian architect-conservator and professor Andrea Bruno. The Museum depicts the colonisation of Cyprus by the Mycenaean Greeks.

Excavations in the village of Lempa, 4km north of Pafos (Paphos), have brought to light an important settlement of the Chalcolithic Age (3900-2500 BC). Replicas of five houses from this era have been reconstructed using the same materials and building methods as used in Chalcolithic times.

The site links with the Aphrodite Cultural Route.

Located near the old marketplace in Pafos, the Ottoman Hamam (baths) is a stone-vaulted building with three areas: a reception area, an intermediate area and the main baths. It is believed to be of Medieval heritage despite its typical Ottoman design, and was in use until the 1950’s. Its restoration was completed in 2015.

The natural grotto of the Baths of Aphrodite, and its botanical garden, can be found past the fishing harbour of Latsi, and towards the tip of the Akamas Peninsula.

Shaded by an old fig tree, amidst lush greenery, legend tells that the Ancient Greek Goddess Aphrodite used to bathe in the waters. According to Greek mythology, Aphrodite met her lover Adonis at this beautiful spot when he stopped for a drink whilst hunting, and fell in love with her the moment when he drank the water.

The site is linked to the Aphrodite Cultural Route.

Baths of Aphrodite – Audio Guide 

The Archaeological Park of Kato Pafos (Paphos) is one of the most important archaeological sites of Cyprus and has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list since 1980.

Nicocles, the last King of Palaipafos moved the city from the previous location to its present location near the harbour at the end of the 4th century BC. Between the 2nd century BC and 4th century AD, Pafos was the capital city of Cyprus.

The Park includes sites and monuments from the 4th century BC to the Middle Ages, while most remains date to the Roman period. The intricate mosaic floors of four Roman villas (the houses of Dionysos, Theseus, Aion and Orpheus) form the impressive epicentre of the finds, and depict various scenes from Greek Mythology. The complex also includes other important monuments, such as the Asklepieion, the Odeon, the Agora, the Saranta Kolones (Forty Columns) Castle, the Limeniotissa ruins of an Early Christian Basilica, and the Tombs of the Kings.

Archaeological Park of Paphos – Audio Guide

Located about 9km north of Pafos (Paphos), the monastery of Agios Neophytos was founded by the Cypriot recluse and writer Neophytos in the second half of the 12th century, in what used to be a secluded location at the head of the picturesque valley.

The hermit carved a cave out of the mountains called the ‘Enkleistra’, which is covered with some of the finest examples of Byzantine frescoes that date back from the 12th to the  15th centuries. The monastery has a noteworthy ecclesiastical museum and its later church also contains some of the finest Post-Byzantine icons dating to the 16th century.

Monastery of Agios Neophytos – Audio Guide 

Located in Kato Pafos (Paphos), Agia Solomoni Church is a chapel that forms part of a small underground complex of chamber tombs from the Hellenistic period. In Medieval times the site was a popular pilgrimage and has also been called ‘The Chapel of the Seven Sleepers’, or ‘The Seven Maccabees’.

Agia Solomoni was one of the first to reject idolatry and embrace Christianity on the island. According to tradition, Solomoni took refuge in the cave to escape persecution from the Romans, but they walled up the entrance, condemning her to a slow and cruel death. However, when the cave was opened 200 years later, the saint walked out alive.

The site consists of an open court, surrounded by five rock-cut chambers, one of which has a spring. The west chamber has an apse set into the west wall and remnants of 12th century Christian wall paintings. The names of 13th century Crusaders are among the graffiti cut into the plaster.

Above the catacombs stands a sacred tree with its branches adorned by colourful rags and bits of clothing left by the faithful as offerings to the saint. It is believed that the tree has curative powers.

Located in the village of Geroskipou, this interesting 9th century Byzantine church is a five-domed, three-aisled, barrel-vaulted basilica, making it one of only two such churches on the whole island, and a significant example of Byzantine architecture.

The beautiful interior wall paintings date to various periods, from the 8th-15th centuries. A monochrome reddish cross, painted directly on the stone, is of an earlier type and was revealed during restoration works. This type of cross is usually dated to the Early Christian period, up until the 8th-9th century.

Apart from its frescoes, the church also contains a rather significant portable, double-sided icon, dating to the 15th century. The Virgin Mary is depicted on one side, and the scene of the Crucifixion on the other.

According to tradition, the name Geroskipou (‘sacred garden’ in Greek) derives from the sacred gardens of the Goddess Aphrodite, which were located to the south of the village towards the sea, at the point where the ancient pilgrims began their journey to the sanctuary of Palaipafos (old Pafos). As such, the church may stand on the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to Aphrodite, although it could also originally have been dedicated to Timios Stavros (the Holy Cross). Today, it is dedicated to the Christian martyr Agia Paraskevi.