PANAGIA OF KOFINOU

The chapel of Panagia tis Kofinou is one of the most noteworthy and best preserved middle Byzantine monuments of Cyprus, which was officially declared an ancient monument in 1935. Built at the beginning of the 11th century upon the ruins of a destroyed basilica of the 7th century, the church stands out for its distinctive architectural design that combines the single-aisled style with a dome and elements influenced by Asia Minor. In its interior it conceals an important cultural treasure, as it preserves three different layers of historic wall paintings that date from the 12th to the 16th century. Today, after full conservation and promotion through European programmes, this stone church stands in the semi-mountainous countryside of Larnaca as a serene place of worship and historical memory