Ayios Neophytos Monastery

Neophytos, a monk who wanted solitude, cut a cell, a chapel and a tomb for himself into the rock face here in 1159, and then had the chambers painted, including a Deesis in which he had himself depicted between two archangels. The enkleistra, as the cave complex is called, keeps wall paintings of the twelfth century and of a later campaign around 1500 in unusually good condition. A monastery grew around the hermitage below, with a later church and a small museum of icons and manuscripts.

Highlights

• The enkleistra - the rock-cut cell, chapel and tomb, painted in the twelfth century.
• The Deesis - Neophytos painted among archangels, his own commission.
• The monastery church - the later building below the cliff, with its own icons.
• The museum - icons, manuscripts and vestments in the monastery buildings.

When to go

March to November is the comfortable season. Mornings are quieter; coach groups arrive through the middle of the day. The enkleistra closes for a long lunch break in summer.

Practical notes

Photography inside the painted cave is restricted and lighting is deliberately low. Steps up to the enkleistra are steep. Modest dress is required and enforced.

Nearby

Paphos is ten kilometres south, and Coral Bay is west on the coast.

Key facts