Luxury Villas in Cyprus

Machairas Monastery, one of the oldest in Cyprus has just celebrated its 900th anniversary. The monastery is situated 45 kilometres from Nicosia on the northern slopes of the Kionia peak with marvellous views including Nicosia in the distance. This mountain is 1425 metres high and has a radar station on its summit - visitors are allowed there and the view from there is unbelievably good. The monastery also lies close to the source of the Pedios river that flows to Nicosia. It is one of the most famous monasteries in Cyprus and is visited by many local people and visitors.

Local legend tells how it was begun in 1201 by two monks - Neophytos and Ignatius- who were searching for an icon of Our Lady. After much searching, they found the beautiful icon in a cave with a knife lying beside it - hence the name of the monastery that comes from the Greek word ' makheri' meaning 'knife'. Several local people however believe that the name refers to the winter winds that blow down the valley and' cut like a knife' or the sharp -edged ridge above the monastery.

A very special icon leads to Imperial privileges…

The icon they discovered was very special because it is said to have been one of a handful painted by the Evangelist Saint Luke, so is one of the most accurate portrayals of Or Lady. The icon was brought to Cyprus for safety during 'The War of the Icons' that split Christians for more than a century between AD.740 - 843. The monastery was built on the spot where the icon was discovered and the icon was hung in the chapel there. Importantly the Emperor Manuel Komninos of Constantinople helped to fund the building of the monastery, and in recognition of this a cross was plunged into its foundations. The monastery was also given imperial privileges and the name 'The Holy Royal and Stavropegiac Monastery of Our Lady of Machairas.'. The monasteries of Kykko and Ayios Neophytos also have these privileges.

The two monks did not stay alone for long in the new monastery as word soon spread about the new monastery, amongst them Nilos, who became the abbot there when Neophytos and Ignatius had both died. Local folklore tells how the monastery was visited by Alix d'Ibelin, wife of Henry 1V, in 1337. She was not respectful to the monks or the Greek Orthodox religion and ignored their pleas not to enter the bema - special area behind iconostasis in the church - as women were not and are not allowed to enter it. As soon as she entered the church, she was struck dumb for three whole years. In 1393 King James 1 and his court stayed at the monastery to escape the plague.

Two fires - but a miracle happens each time…

In 1530 and again in 1892 the monastery was destroyed by fire but miraculously the icon was saved each time. The discovery of the icon is depicted in a mosaic outside the entrance to the church, and a second mosaic depicts the special privileges of the monastery. In the years of the Ottoman rule of the island {1571-1878} the monastery played a key role in education as it ran a large school.

The modern monastery buildings...

The modern monastery building [dating from 1900] form a square with the three-aisled church of Saint Mary's in the centre where the icon is now shrouded by a silver screen - with just Our Lady's face showing. The silver screen was put over the icon to protect it in the late 18th century. The icon has been attributed with many wonderful miracles. Above the icon hangs is the tiny silver knife that hangs above it which is accredited with healing wounds. Close by there is a pair of pearl encrusted buckles which are said to ease pain during childbirth so are often borrowed by local women! The monastery also has a beautiful silver cross that contains a fragment of the True Cross.

More turbulent years for the monastery.

In the late 1950s the monastery was used as a hideout by Gregorios Afxentiou - the deputy leader of the EOKA liberation struggle , who disguised himself as a monk. In March 1957, after a ten-hour battle against the British, he died a hero. His memory lives on in the small museum dedicated to him in one of the monastic cells. The monastery courtyard is dominated by a bronze statue of him.

Modern day life at the monastery...

Currently there are 30 monks at the monastery, and many of them have studied at university, and three of the monks are from Russia and are making a study of Orthodox Christianity. Recent building work has been carried out to ensure that the monks' aesthetic life has the minimum of disruption from visitors to the monastery.
Work has also been recently completed on a new drug rehabilitation centre close to the monastery that was inaugurated as part of its anniversary celebrations.

There will be more celebrations later this month when the monastery has its festival
The monastery is at its most popular in the springtime when almond blossom transforms the local hillsides with the prettiest pink and white veil. The monks are well-known for their delicious almond liqueur.

Information courtesy of forsale.com.cy