Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis

Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis review Rate it

Of the myriad Byzantine monuments in the Troodos mountains, this 11th-century monastery church boasts the most enchanting setting. It sits in a lush glade, irresistibly conjuring up images of its medieval past as the Karyotis river gurgles by and birds twitter in the trees. Its name, St Nicholas of the Roof, refers to the steep-pitched tiled roof that was added in the 15th century to protect the building from heavy snowfall, setting the distinctive trend for Troodos chapels. The interior is decorated with a rich array of frescoes from the 11th to the 17th centuries. The jewel that clinched the church's place on UNESCO's World Heritage list is a fresco of the Virgin breastfeeding the baby Jesus (the only mural of its kind on the island).