Author: Christos

Aphrodite’s mythical birthplace ‘Petra tou Romiou’ is an interesting geological formation of huge rocks along one of the most beautiful coastlines on the island, located on the southwest coast of the Pafos (Paphos) district.

According to the legend, the Ancient Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty – Aphrodite – was born of the sea foam here. Legend tells that she rose from the waves and was escorted on a shell to this particular beach.

The giant rock formations, which are seen at the same location are linked with another – more recent – legend which tells that the Byzantine hero Digenis Akritas heaved them there to keep the Saracens Arabs (7th-10th centuries) at bay. The name of Petra tou Romiou (‘rock of the Greek’ in Greek) comes from the hero.

It is said that in certain weather conditions, the waves rise, break and form a column of water that dissolves into a pillar of foam. With imagination, this momentarily looks like an ephemeral, evanescent human shape. Other popular myths tell that swimming around the rock three times will bring various blessings, including eternal youth and beauty, good luck, fertility and true love.

The site is linked to the Aphrodite Cultural Route.

Petra tou Romiou – Audio Guide 

The abandoned monastery of Panagia tou Sinti is situated on the banks of the Xeros River in Pentalia, and is dedicated to the Virgin Mary (Panagia) of Sinti.

The church has an octagonal dome with four windows and belongs to the first half of the 16th century. Its central nave is in good condition, and it is considered to be one of the most important buildings of the Venetian period.

The Monastery remained in operation until 1927 and thereafter was abandoned. In 1994, the Monastery of Kykkos undertook the maintenance of the Monastery, completing it in 1997 when it earned the Europa Nostra Award for the use of good restoration techniques and preservation of its original character.  

Located in the village of Geroskipou, this interesting 9th century Byzantine church is a five-domed, three-aisled, barrel-vaulted basilica, making it one of only two such churches on the whole island, and a significant example of Byzantine architecture.

The beautiful interior wall paintings date to various periods, from the 8th-15th centuries. A monochrome reddish cross, painted directly on the stone, is of an earlier type and was revealed during restoration works. This type of cross is usually dated to the Early Christian period, up until the 8th-9th century.

Apart from its frescoes, the church also contains a rather significant portable, double-sided icon, dating to the 15th century. The Virgin Mary is depicted on one side, and the scene of the Crucifixion on the other.

According to tradition, the name Geroskipou (‘sacred garden’ in Greek) derives from the sacred gardens of the Goddess Aphrodite, which were located to the south of the village towards the sea, at the point where the ancient pilgrims began their journey to the sanctuary of Palaipafos (old Pafos). As such, the church may stand on the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to Aphrodite, although it could also originally have been dedicated to Timios Stavros (the Holy Cross). Today, it is dedicated to the Christian martyr Agia Paraskevi.

The archaeological site of Agios Georgios at the Pafos (Paphos) village of Pegeia is a famous place of pilgrimage for the region. Excavations that began in the 1950’s uncovered significant evidence of an Early Christian settlement.

The excavations unearthed three Early Christian Basilicas and a bath from the 6th century, whilst later excavations (in the nineties) revealed an extensive unwalled settlement that occupied the neck and the south slope of the cape in the Roman and early Christian periods.

The settlement flourished under Justinian I (527 – 565 AD), and its advantageous position suggests that it was probably a port of call for ships transporting grain from Egypt to Constantinople.

The necropolis lies at the brow of the cliff with tombs carved into the rock. Located at the centre of the settlement – on the neck of the cape – is the large three-aisled ‘Basilica A’ with a baptistery adjacent on its west side. A smaller three-aisled basilica with a transept is annexed to the north side of the baptistery.

The three-aisled ‘Basilica B’ lies at the foot of the southern slope of the cape, whilst the remains of the small three-aisled ‘Basilica C’ lie to the northeast of the settlement, with adjacent structures along the north side of a sacristy, oil press, well, guest-house, and courtyard.

The place of pilgrimage of Agios Georgios is located between the site of the basilicas and the necropolis. There is also a small chapel founded in the late 13th – early 14th century also named after Agios Georgios. The stone built church of Agios Georgios was built more recently.