Overview

The Monastery in Omodos has a rich history. According to tradition, it was established after a fire was observed in some bushes at the site where the Monastery now stands. The inhabitants of the neighboring villages Pano and Kato Koupetra dug the earth and discovered a small cave with a Cross. To show gratitude, they built a chapel over the cave, which became a sacred place for worship and later expanded into a Monastery. The Monastery had many monks and a vast fortune, including a grange in Constantinople and real estate in Russia. The exact date of its establishment is unknown, but it is believed to have existed before the village of Omodos was established around it. St. Helen is said to have visited the Monastery during her visit to Cyprus in 327 AD and left a part of the Holy Rope there. The Monastery gained a substantial reputation and became a great place of worship after several miracles by the Cross. During the centuries of Turkish domination, the Monastery managed to sustain itself and even secured a sultan's "firman" of immunity and impunity. In 1757, water was transferred to the Monastery and the cistern and fountain were built. In 1917, the property of the Monastery was given to the inhabitants of Omodos. A few years later, it was deprived of its last monks and converted into a parish.