The Painted Churches of Troodos

Ten churches in the Troodos mountains carry a joint UNESCO listing, and the surprise is architectural: from outside most look like agricultural buildings, small stone boxes under enormous pitched timber roofs added later to shed snow, with no ornament at all. Inside, every surface is painted. The cycles run from the eleventh to the fifteenth centuries and later, and because these were remote village churches rather than cathedrals, the painting is often vivid, direct and full of local detail. Asinou is the most celebrated for the quality of its twelfth-century work; Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis has layers spanning centuries; Panagia tou Araka holds a famous Pantocrator. Several are kept locked with a keyholder in the village.

What you actually see

• Asinou - the finest twelfth-century painting cycle, in a barn-roofed church near Nikitari.
• Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis - the church of the roof, with layered painting across centuries.
• Panagia tou Araka - the Pantocrator dome near Lagoudera.
• Kykkos Monastery - not part of the listing but the island's richest, with mosaics and a museum.

When to go

April to October; the mountain roads are fine but winter brings snow to the higher villages. Churches keep irregular hours and several are opened on request by a keyholder, so weekday mornings and a little patience work best.

Honest expectations

The churches are scattered across a mountain range on winding roads and cannot be done without a car; three or four in a day is realistic. Many are locked and finding the keyholder takes time, especially at lunch. Photography is prohibited inside most of them, which disappoints visitors. Interiors are dim by design, so give your eyes time.

Nearby

Kykkos Monastery is deeper in the range; the wine villages lie on the southern slopes.