The churches and chapels of Karavas

Introduction

The Acheropiitos monastery, the church of Saint Evlalios, the three parish churches, the fourteen chapels dotted along the Karavas borders are part of the rich religious history of the town.

Acheropiitos monastery

One of the most remarkable Byzantine monuments of Cyprus is the Acheropiitos monastery. Tradition has it that the church was named Acheropiitos because it was not built where it stands by a human hand. Centuries ago, when the Turks were ready to burn Asia Minor, the Virgin Mary, who had her church on the opposite coast, lifted it from where it was with the monastery and transferred it in one night to Cyprus, to the coasts of Lambousa, in order to save it.

The Acheropiitos monastery is built on the ruins of an early Christian basilica of the 6th-7th century, remains of which can be seen today. The monastery is surrounded by a stone wall. On the south side there was a row of rooms, possibly stores and stables. The north side had two rows of cells for the monks. After independence and up till 1974, these cells were used for the soldiers of the artillery.

The temple has been built many times and this becomes apparent by the buildings with the early Christian, Byzantine and Frankish architecture.

The main temple, a building of the 11th century, is of the registered cross type. The caliper is 12th century Byzantine and the outer caliper is 16th century Gothic. Its distinctiveness is having Gothic arcs on the south side of the roof and a Byzantine arch on the north side.

The 12th century temple was decorated with murals. Parts of the murals were salvaged on the apse of the sanctum, where one can see a row of hierarchs, and in the main temple very disjointed. Initially the sanctum was separated from the main temple by a marble chancel comprised of marble columns and anaglyph bulwarks. Parts of the early Christian decoration are incorporated in the wooden sculptured iconostasis. The icons belong to the period from the mid 18th century to the early 19th century.

From the icons one can distinguish the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary, in which it is believed that the Holy Cloth is kept. At the foot of the icon there is an inscription saying that monk Philotheos made a new icon of the Virgin Mary in 1765, in which he placed "part of the cloth" they found when the Turks broke up the old icon. It is this testimony that was probably the foundation of the tradition, which says that in the icon is a piece of the Holy Cloth with which Christ wiped his face on the way to Golgotha.

The church celebrates on August 15, day of the Virgin Mary, and August 16, day of the Holy Cloth.

The monastery was the religious centre of the area and until 1222 AD was the headquarters of the Lambousa Bishop, who was one of the fifteen bishops of the island.

Towards the end of the 19th century the number of monks drops and the monastery remains without monks at the beginning of the 20th century. During the last years and until 1974 the priest of Saint Irene of Karavas, Papa-Iacovos Kyrkos, performed the liturgy in the church of the Virgin Mary.

The Acheropiitos monastery operated, during the years of the Turkish occupation, the first primary school of the area, at which the children of Karavas, Lapithos and the surrounding villages took their first lessons.

The monastery also officiated in various periods to a great extent with its contribution to the struggles of the nation for freedom.

Saint Evlalios church

To the east of Acheropiitos, in the area of ancient Lambousa, is the 16th-century church of Saint Evlalios, dedicated to the first bishop of Lambousa, built on the remains of an older church.

The history of the church is parallel to that of the Acheropiitos monastery, that is it was built in the 6th, 11th and 16th centuries.

The surviving church, with a Franco-Byzantine architecture, was erected by Archbishop Neophytos in the 16th century. The inside of the church incorporates four columns from the destroyed basilica. The church is covered by an arch and dome resting on a square base. The rostrums of the church were painted in 1692 by monk Leontios "from Nemesos" and bear scenes from the annunciation and on the lower part of four hierarchs.

Saint George church

To the southeast of Karavas is the parish church of Saint George. In the 18th century there used to be a monastery there, which was destroyed in the early 19th century. Today's church was built in 1843-1854. It is a basilica with a polygon dome.

The painting and sculpting of the iconostasis, the pulpit, the worship area and the women's seats are notable. Especially distinguishing is the wooden sculpted row of seated prophets on the top part of the iconostasis.

The parish gloriously celebrates the feast of the benediction of the waters on Theophany, at the neighbouring "Mills". This religious ceremony was the continuation of a traditional custom but at the same time a form of gratitude to God for the valuable water of the spring, which watered almost all orchards in Karavas.

Saint Irene church

To the southwest of the village, built on a slope of Pentadaktylos, is another parish church of Karavas, Saint Irene. It was built in 1804 by archimandrite, deputy bishop, Lavrentios and the son of Hadjinicolas, who became a martyr with other notables of the island in the massacres of July 9, 1821.

The icon of Saint Irene with the inscription of 1808 names Lavrentios and Hadjinicolas as the builders of the church. Another exceptional icon that depicts Saint Eftychios, Saint Eleftherios, Saint George, Saint Prokopios and Saint Marina dates back to 1766. Two other characteristics of the church are a wonderful sample of the wood sculpting of the Karavas inhabitants, as well as a probably unique cross hanging from the dome of the church by a stone chain.

Evangelistria Virgin Mary church

At the centre of the village is the largest church of Karavas, Evangelistria Virgin Mary. The area was bought by the Kykkos monastery and the church was built in 1906-1917 with the proceeds from a collection among the inhabitants under the supervision of then mayor Gregory Hadjilambros.

The whole shape of the church looks like that of Saint Barbara in Kaimakli because they were both built by renowned master builder Joseph Koursoumbas. Almost all the icons are works of the probably most famous painter of icons in Cyprus, Frangoulides.

Built in the centre of the village and the largest of the area's churches, Evangelistria gathered all the inhabitants at the festive doxologies of national anniversaries and was the starting point for parades that opened the celebratory programme of the town.

Karavas chapels

Within the municipal boundaries of Karavas there are also fourteen derelict chapels, which are also samples of the religious devoutness of the town's inhabitants.

Three of these, Saint Kyriakos or commonly known as Saint Koutoularis at the Mills, Archangel at the Old Well and Saint Peter are completely destroyed. Over the past years, Saint Peter near the cemetery of Karavas was rebuilt with the proceeds of a collection among overseas Karavas people now living in America.

The church of Saint Antonios in Exo Geitonia maintains the apse of the sanctum and part of the walls.

In Pano Geitonia we find three chapels. Saint Marina is a semi-derelict chapel, on the walls of which one can distinguish old murals of the 12th century.

In the same area we find the derelict chapel of Saint Panteleimonas. Among the lemon trees we find the chapel of Saint Andronikos. Of the old church the Holy Altar is still in place, which comprises a marble column taken from the ruins of Lambousa.

To the west of the village on the mountain is the carved chapel of Saint Galaterousa. It maintains traces of old murals and anaglyphs of early Christian symbols.

Higher up on the mountain, Gomatistra, is the chapel of Saint Paul. According to tradition, that is where Saint Paul fled after he was stoned by the Lambousa inhabitants.

To the east near the sea in a wonderful place is the post-Byzantine small church of Saint Andreas. "Saint Antrias", as it was known, gave its name to the whole area.

Also, studying the topographical plans of the town of Karavas, we note another four chapels, which existed earlier but now there are not even any ruins to determine the exact sites. They are the chapels of Agapitikia or Mesitikia Virgin Mary in Pano Geitonia north of Saint Galaterousa, Aigiorkoudi in the Petrogeitonia parish between Gerokathikas and Mare Monte, Archangel in the Saint Andreas parish to the east of Elia village, and Saint George (Paliomonastiro) in the Saint Andreas parish.