The famous Orthodox monastery of Stavrovouni is located between the major cities of Nicosia and Larnaca, on the top of a high mountain. It was built in 327 AD by St Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, on the site where there was once a temple to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. Legend has it that after the miraculous rescue of the ship on which Helena sailed from Palestine from a terrible storm, the woman had a vision in which an angel appeared to her and ordered her to build five temples on the island and a monastery on this mountain.
Stavrovouni is most famous for the fact that it houses a part of the Holy Life-Giving Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. This relic was given to the monastery by its founder St Helen.
At the end of the 19th century, the monastery was badly damaged in a major fire. And in the 80s of the last century, the Cypriot authorities began extensive repair and restoration work: frescoes decorating the walls were restored, a water supply system was installed and electricity was supplied. The monks living on the mountain are mainly engaged in subsistence farming, in particular, in the production of incense. There are also icon-painting workshops.
Every year in September, the church hosts a large celebration of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which attracts believers from all over the world. Remarkably, despite the fact that it was Elena who initiated the construction of the monastery, women are not allowed on its territory, and a strict dress code has been introduced for male visitors.
And from the top of the mountain, where Stavrovouni Monastery stands, there is a breathtaking view of the surrounding lands.
