Panagia Theoskepasti ( el, Παναγίας Θεοσκέπαστης) is a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

Church of Cyprus The Church of Cyprus ( el, Ἐκκλησία τῆς Κύπρου, translit=Ekklisia tis Kyprou; tr, Kıbrıs Kilisesi) is one of the autocephalous Greek Orthodox churches that together with other Eastern Orthodox churches form the communio ...

church at the center of Kato

Paphos Paphos ( el, Πάφος ; tr, Baf) is a coastal city in southwest Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In classical antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos, today known as Kouklia, and New Paphos. The current city of Pap ...

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

. It is part of an area inscribed in the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1980.

History

Its history starts back in the 10th century AD when the island of Cyprus was part of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

. During the Byzantine times Christianity prospered in the island and many monasteries and churches were built. Among them was Theoskepasti church, which was dedicated to the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

(Greek:

Panagia Panagia ( el, Παναγία, fem. of , + , the ''All-Holy'', or the ''Most Holy''; pronounced ) (also transliterated Panaghia or Panajia), in Medieval and Modern Greek, is one of the titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern ...

). It was built within meters from the sea on a protruding rock, dominating the surrounding scenery.

Legends

By the end of the 11th century

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...

s start attacking Cyprus. Theoskepasti church, due to its position, could easily be discerned by invading Arabs, during their raids. However, according to a legend the church was veiled with dark clouds of fog and rendered invisible as soon as the Saracens approached it. Due to this legend the church got the name "Theoskepasti" from the Greek words "Theos" and "skepazo" which mean "God" and "to veil" respectively. So, the name is 'Veiled by God'. According to another tradition, when once a Saracen managed to enter the church and tried to steal the golden candle, divine power cut off his hands.

New church

The present-day Panagia Theoskepasti church was built on the foundations of the older Byzantine church in 1923. The architecture of the previous church was preserved. A full restoration of the present-day church was completed in March 2009.Restoration of Theoskepasti church http://www.minasmina.com/PROJECTS/Pages/theoskepasti.htm

Important exhibits

Precious portable icons are kept at Theoskepasti Church. Among them, a miraculous silver-covered icon, believed to have been one of the seventy icons painted by Evangelist Luke.

References

{{Authority control Byzantine church buildings in Cyprus Buildings and structures in Paphos