We're going higher and higher. The serpentines do not impress us much - after an hour of driving, we gain confidence in the driver and we hope that nothing threatens us.
At an altitude of over 1000 m there is a large monastery complex. This place is closely related to the dramatic history of Cyprus for centuries.
Among other things, secret teaching took place here during the reign of the Ottoman Empire, which forbade the education of Greek Cypriots.
There is a strict rule in the monastery, so you can't see much "from the inside". No photos allowed! Tourists must cover their shoulders and knees, and for this purpose special, not very tasteful covers, are rented.
“Located in the valley of the Machairas Mountains, the Monastery of Machairas houses the miraculous icon of Panagia (Virgin Mary) of Machairas, which is attributed to Agios Loukas (the Apostle Luke).
According to tradition, an unknown hermit smuggled the icon to Cyprus during the iconoclastic movement (between the 8th and 9th centuries) and kept it in his cave until his death. The hermits Ignatios and Neophytos, endowed with divine grace, discovered a cave hidden by bushes around 1145, and reached it by cutting the undergrowth with a knife given to them by the divine hand. Thanks to this, the unveiled icon received the name "Machairiotissa" from the Greek word for knife - machairi. A monastery was built in the same place, which also took this name.
The friars living in the monastery are extremely devout, keeping vows as strict as those on Mount Athos in Greece.”
