Discovering Cyprus: Where to go the 2nd Day...

Troodos Mountain View

Central Prison of Nicosia – Imprisoned Graves

The Nicosia central prison was built by the British in 1894 and is the only correctional facility in Cyprus.

It is known primarily for the "Imprisoned Graves" where 13 EOKA fighters were interred. Nine of them were hanged by the British, three were killed in action and one died in hospital from his battle wounds.

Tomb of Makedonitissa

The Tomb of Makedonitissa, is a military cemetery and war memorial, west of Nicosia. This was the place where one Greek Nord Noratlas was shot down by friendly fire on 22 July 1974, during the Operation "Niki". "Niki" was a military operation of the Greek Army to send some elements of the Greek special forces by air to help the Cypriot National Guard. In this tomb are buried Greek Cypriot and some Greek officers and soldiers who died during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus at 1974.

Kakopetria and Kalopanagiotis

The names of the villages...

A version reports that some nobleman from Marathasa had 3 sons. They were Nikos, Panagiotis, and Petris (Peter). Petris was mischievous, uptight, unbearable, and evil. His brothers were tired of him and asked their father to send him away. So, the father sent Petris to the other side of the mountain. In that way, Petris arrived in the area of the old village. He was the first settler. Combining the words "Kakos" (bad / evil) and "Petris", the village received the name of Kakopetria. The other two brothers founded two other villages, Nikos establishing the village Oikos ("Nikos" without the N, becoming "Ikos"), and Panagiotis -being so kind and compassionate -founded the village Kalopanagiotis ("Kalos" meaning Good / Kind).

Kakopetria Village

Another version reports that close to the large bridge at the village's entrance, there is a big rock known as "Petra tou Androgynou" (Couples' Rock). According to tradition, newly-wed couples would sit on this rock. On day the rock rolled over and buried a newly-wed couple under it. After this event the inhabitants named the rock "Kakopetra" (Bad Rock) and then the village itself was name "Kakopetria".

"Petra tou Androgynou" (Couples' Rock)

The first resident of Kalopanagiotis was Panagiotis, who builds his house very close to the monastery of St. John. He was a very good (kalo) Christian and wanted to serve St. Panagiotis, followed by other settlers created their own families and they built their own small churches.

Kalopanagiotis

Kykkos Monastery and The Tomb of Archiepiskop Makarios III

Kykkos Monastery is one of the wealthiest and best-known monasteries in Cyprus.

The Holy Monastery of the Virgin of Kykkos was founded around the end of the 11th century by the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos (1081–1118). The monastery lies at an altitude of 1318 meters on the north west face of Troödos Mountains. There are no remains of the original monastery as it was burned down many times. The first President of Cyprus, Archiepiskop Makarios III started his ecclesiastical career there as a monk in 1926. He remained fond of the place and returned there many times. His request to be buried there materialised after his death in 1977. His tomb lies 3 km west of Kykkos monastery and remains a popular visitor destination.

Throughout the centuries locals have revered the icon and have attributed miracles to its presence. In 1760 a success in the struggle against locust devastation, a frequent problem of the time, was believed to be the work of the icon. The icon has also served as a template for other paintings depicting the Madonna in eastern Orthodoxy. The icon is never looked at, and its top half remains hidden behind a protective covering as it is said that whoever looks at it will be blinded. The last person to have seen the icon is the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria Gerasimos, in 1669. The icon is rarely uncovered, although this happens on occasion. In recent years there had been a drought affecting Cyprus, in response to which the fathers took the icon to her throne, and read special supplications for rain, whilst looking away from the uncovered icon.

Kykkos Monastery

In 1974, whilst Archiepiskop Makarios was under pursuit by the military junta, he headed for refuge here. As a result, the building was hit by tank fire and part of it collapsed.

Makarios III died of a heart attack on 3 August 1977.

He is buried in a tomb on the mountain of Throni, a site he personally chose. The tomb is near Kykkos Monastery, where he served as a novice in the 1920s and 1930s. To commemorate his life, an imposing bronze statue of Makarios was erected outside the Archiepiskop's palace in Nicosia; in 2008 the statue was moved to Kykkos monastery and replaced by a life-size marble statue of Makarios.

At his funeral, held at St. John's Cathedral outside the Archbishopric in Nicosia, 182 dignitaries from 52 countries attended while an estimated 250,000 mourners—about half the Greek Cypriot population of the island—filed past the coffin.

Makarios III (born Michael Christodoulou Mouskos) (13 August 1913 – 3 August 1977) was a Greek Cypriot clergyman and politician, who served as the Archiepiskop and Primate of the autocephalous Church of Cyprus (1950–1977) and as the first President of Cyprus (1960–1977). In his three terms as president he survived four assassination attempts and a coup d'état. He is widely regarded by Greek Cypriots as the Father of the Nation or "Ethnarch".

The Tomb of Archiepiskop Makarios III