The Bust of Kimon
At the seafront promenade.
The Athenian General Kimon led 200 triremes in 450 BC
to free Cyprus from the Persians. He died while he was
besieging Kition.
Larnaca District Archaeological Museum
Kalogreon Square: Tel: (04) 630169.
Interesting collection of finds from the Larnaca area,
dating from the Neolithic Age to the Roman period.
The
Pierides Foundation Museum
4 Zinonos Kitieos Street. Tel.: (04) 652495.
The oldest privately
owned museum in Cyprus, set up by Dimitrios Pierides
(1811-1895). It houses ancient, medieval, Byzantine and
more recent objects belonging to the Pierides family. A
display case of modern Greek and Cypriot sculptures can be
seen in the courtyard.
Larnaca Fort - Local Mediaeval Museum
Larnaca seafront.
Built in 1625, it
was used as a prison in the first years of British rule.
It now houses the District Mediaeval Museum. The Fort is
also used as the Larnaca Municipal Cultural Centre during
the summer.
Ayios Lazaros Church
Plateia Agiou Lazarou.
Saint Lazarus is the patron saint of Larnaca. Kition
became his second home after his resurrection by Christ,
and he lived here for another 30 years. He was ordained
Bishop of Kition by Saints Barnabas and Mark.
In the 9th century a magnificent church was erected
over his tomb by Emperor Leo VI. The church, one of the
finest examples of Byzantine architecture in Cyprus, was
faithfully restored in the 17th century, and the
iconostasis is an excellent example of baroque woodcarving.
Visitors can see the tomb of Saint Lazarus under the
sanctuary and an ecclesiastical museum behind the church.
Eight days before the Greek Orthodox Easter the icon of
Saint Lazarus is taken in procession through the streets
of Larnaca.
Visitors can see the tomb of the Saint Lazarus under the
sanctuary and the ecclesiastical musuem behind the church.
Tel. (04) 652489
Kition
Approximately 500 m.
northeast of the Archaeological Museum.
One of the most important of the ancient city-kingdoms,
with architectural remains dating back to the 13th century
BC. In about 1200 BC, it was rebuilt by the Mycenaean
Greeks, and excavations have revealed cyclopean walls made
of giant blocks of stone and a complex of five temples.
Kamares Aqueduct
Kamares area on the Larnaka - Lemesosl road.
A beautiful 18th century aqueduct which was in use
until 1930.
Hala Sultan Tekke
Larnaca Salt Lake.
Built in 1816 over the tomb of Umm Haram, allegedly a
relative of the Prophet Mohammed, who died on this spot in
649 during the first Arab raids. The mosque is an
important place of Moslem pilgrimage ranking immediately
after the shrines of Mecca, Medina and Al Aqsha in
Jerusalem.
Municipal Museum of Natural History
Leoforos Grigori Afxentiou, Tel. (04) 652569
Within the Larnaka Municipal Gardens.
The museum has displays of rare insects, birds and animals
of Cyprus.
Angeloktisti Church
Kiti village, 11km west of Larnaka
Angeloktisti means "built by the angels".T
his 11th century Byzantine church was built on a
destroyed early Christian basilica, the apse of which
survives together with one of the finest pieces of
Byzantine art, a 6th century mosaic of the Virgin Mary and
Child between two archangels, which rivals the Ravenna
Mosaics.
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Royal Chapel
Pyrga village, 32 km from Larnaka
Built by Lusignan King Janus in 1421, it contains a
wall painting of the king and his wife, Charlotte de
Bourbon. It is considered to be one of the most
interesting structures surviving from the Frankish period.
Stavrovouni Monastery
9 km off the
Lefkosia - Lemesos road
Perched on a rocky peak, 750 meters above sea level,
Stavrovouni means the Mountain of the Cross. According to
tradition it was founded by Saint Helena, mother of
Constantine the Great, who left a fragment of the Holy
Cross to the monastery. The brotherhood is extremely
devout, keeping vows as strict as those of the Mount Athos
brotherhood in Greece. Women are not allowed in the
monastery, though men may visit the monastery daily from
sunrise to sunset, except between 12.00-13.00 (15.00 hrs
in summer), on Green Monday and the following day. There
is an impressive ceremony and celebrations on 14 September,
the day of Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The Monastery of
Ayia Varvara (Saint Barbara) at the foot of Stavrovouni
hill, is easily accessible. The monks here, as in
Stavrovouni, have a high reputation for icon painting.
Choirokoitia
About 32 km from
Larnaka
The ancient site of Choirokoitia, is included since 1988
in the Unesco World Cultural Heritage official list. It is
the site of a Neolithic settlement found in a better
state of preservation than most others from this period,
not only in Cyprus but in the whole of the Eastern
Mediterranean. It represents through its consecutive
phases of building the whole history of the Neolithic
period in Cyprus and divulges precious information as to
the spread of the Neolithic culture throughout the region.
The general Development Plant of Choirokoitia has its
objective to maintain the authenticity of the place, to
protect the natural and man-made environment and to give
out information through the creation of a Visitor's Centre.
Five dwellings in close proximity have been reconstructed
following the Neolithic model, using the same methods and
traditional materials and have been furnished with copies
of objects actually found inside the houses during
excavations, in order to give a better impression of the
layout of the village as it was in antiquity. In addition
the plant life around these huts represents plants that
were cultivated or indigenous trees that grow in Cyprus
since the Neolithic times.
Kalavasos - Tenta
40 km fro Larnaka
Tenta, one of the most important Neolithic settlements in
Cyprus of 7000 BC., lies near the village of Kalavasos.
Lefkara
8km from Skarinou
A picturesque village, famous for its local lace known as
"Lefkaritika" and for its silverware. According
to tradition, Leonardo da Vinci visited the village and
bought an altar cloth, which he donated to the Milan
cathedral. The House of Patsalos houses the Lace and
Silverware Museum of Lefkara. The church of Archangelos
Michael in Kato Lefkara is of the single-aisled domed type
and has wall paintings of the late 12th century. At Pano
Lefkara, there is the church of the Holy Cross with a
beautiful 18th century iconostasis and a unique 13th
century silver cross. A religious fair takes place on
13-14 September, day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
Ayios Minas Convent
Near Lefkara
15th century monastery with a church at the centre of the
cloisters.
The nuns, besides performing their religious rites, are
famous for their icon painting.
The monastery is open for visitts daily, except between
12.00-15.00 hrs. For organised groups visits the monastery
is open from Monday to Friday.
Church of Panayia Iamatiki
A three-aisled wooden roofed church with excellent wall
paintings of the Italo-Byzantine style, dating to the
first half of the 16th century.
Agios Antonios Church
Kellia village
This is one of the most important Byzantine churches of
Cyprus, possibly of the 9th century. It is a three aisled
vaulted basilica which has undergone many reconstructions
with repairs. It preserves significant wall paintings
surviving from the 9th, 11th, 13th centuries.
Kostas
Argyrou Museum
Mazotos
The museum displays the work of local sculptor Kostas
Argyrou. Visits can be arranged by phone No. (04) 432277.
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