Suggestion for an excursion to the monastery of Panagia Sintis
Image by @explorenatureofCyprus on Instagram
Paris Dimitriadis
Built on the west bank of the Xeropotamos river and at its confluence with the so-called argaki of Sindi, from where it got its name, the monastery of Panagia tou Sinti is considered one of the most important buildings of the Venetian period in Cyprus and a few photos are enough to understand the its cultural and architectural value.
Although the historical sources regarding the establishment of the monastery are very few and are checked for their reliability, it is considered certain that it was initially an independent monastery and later became a part of the Kykkos monastery until 1927 when it was abandoned. In the early 1950s the monastery property was sold to residents of the neighboring areas and the courtyard was turned into an animal enclosure, until 1966 when the Department of Antiquities declared it an ancient monument.
Nowadays it is abandoned and the cracks from the strong earthquakes that hit the island from time to time are visible on its walls, nevertheless the original design and shape of the building complex is kept solid and relatively well preserved.
With the dominant building element being the very durable stone of the area, the monastery is developed in three wings in the shape of a P, around a large courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard there is a well, from which the monks used to get water, and to this day both watermills, which are located near the monastery and are its property, are preserved.
The church of the monastery is built on the south side of the courtyard. It belongs to the single-aisled type with a dome and is a representative and amazing example of a temple of the post-Byzantine period in Cyprus. The stone windows, the circular skylight above the western entrance and the configuration of the northern door that opens into the courtyard indicate the strong influence of western architecture on the architecture of the temple.
The Holy Monastery of Kykkos, to which the monastery of Panagia of Sintis belongs, proceeded in 1993 with maintenance works of the monastery, which lasted 4 years. The main goal of the restoration work was to preserve the original character and form of the monastery. In 1997 this effort was honored with the Europa Nostra award. The monastery today is under the protection of UNESCO.
The wonderful nature that surrounds the monastery and the important historical displacement of the complex which now functions as an open museum space greatly reward the visitors and advocate to put the area high on your priority list!
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