Lemesos Mediaeval Fort
Cyprus Mediaeval Museum
Near the Old Port. Tel: (05)330419.
Originally built in the 14th century on the site of an
earlier Byzantine castle. Rebuilding carried out during
the Ottoman period. According to tradition Richard the
Lionheart married Berengaria of Navarre and crowned her
Queen of England here in 1191. The castle houses the
Cyprus Mediaeval Museum.
Lemesos Archaeological Museum
5 Vyronos Street. Tel: (05) 330157
Interesting collection of antiquities found in the
Limassol area from the Neolithic Age to the Roman period.
Municipal Folk Art Museum
253 Ayios Andreas St. Tel: (05) 362303.
This very beautiful collection of Cypriot Folk Art of
the 19th and early 20th century is housed in a restored
old house.
Kolossi Castle
14 km west of Lemesos on the road to Pafos.
A fine example of military architecture originally
constructed in the 13th century, and subsequently rebuilt
in its present form in the middle of the 15th century.
After the fall of Acre in 1291 it served as the Grand
Commandery of the Knights of the Order of St. John of
Jerusalem. In the 14th century it came for a few years
under the domain of the Knights Templar.
Nearby are the ruins of a sugar mill dating to the 14th
century.
Kourion Museum
14 km west of Lemesos at Episcopi village Tel: (05) 232453
An important ancient city kingdom, and one of the most
interesting and spectacular archaeological sites on the
island with excavations still bringing new treasures to
light. The magnificent Greco-Roman theatre was originally
built in the 2nd century BC and enlarged in the 2nd
century AD. It is now fully restored and used for musical
and theatrical performances. The House of Eustolios was
originally a private villa and in the early Christian
period became a public recreation centre. It consists of a
complex of Baths and a number of rooms with beautiful 5th
century AD mosaic floors.
The Early Christian Basilica dated to the 5th century
was probably the Cathedral of Kourion with a baptistery
attached to the north side. The House of Achilles and the
House of the Gladiators have beautiful mosaic floors. The
Nymphaeum dedicated to water nymphs is still under
excavation by the Cyprus Department of Antiquities.
The Stadium lies 1 km to the west on the right side of
the road to Paphos, and is dated to the 2nd century AD.
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Sanctuary of Apollo Ylatis
3km west of Kourion, on the road to Pafos
Apollo
Hlatis, God of the Woodland, was the protector
of the city of Kourion.
Archaeological evidence shows that the cult of Apollo
was celebrated here from the 8th century BC to the 4th
century AD. Part of the temple has been restored, with the
cella, the colonnade and the pediment.
Amathus
Ancient site
11 km east of Kourion, on the road to Pafos
One of the ancient city kingdoms of Cyprus, where,
according to legend, Theseus left the pregnant Ariadne to
be taken care of, after his battle with the Minotaur. A
very important cult of Aphrodite-Astarte flourished here.
Excavations are still continuing at the Acropolis and
Agora areas as well as part of the upper and lower city.
The remains date from the Archaic, Roman and Christian
periods.
Agia Anastasia Church
Pano Polemidia
This is a complex of two churches. The older one, possibly
dating to te 12th century, is on the east side and is a
cross-in-square domed church. The second church on the
west side was added in the 14th century and built in the
same architectural style. The surviving mural paintings
date back to the 14th-15th centuries.
Agia
Christina Church
Germasogeia
Germasogeia is an important municipality in the Lemesos
area. The church of Agia Christina, which lies in the
centre of the village, also houses the Germasogeia
Ecclesiastical Museum. It is a small church with a flat
roof, the outcome of several recent interventions.
Recently restoration work has revealed 16th century wall
paintings.
Agios Georgios
Alamanos Convent
Off the Lefkosia-Lemesos road 19 km from Lemesos.
Originally founded in the 12th century. The nuns, besides
performing their religious rites, spend their time in icon
painting and cultivating flowers and herbs, and the
production of honey.
Kourris Valley
A series of important Byzantine monuments, e.g Panayia
Amasagnou, Timios Stavros - Kouka, Archangelos Monagri,
can be found along the Kourris valley, about 20 minutes
from Lemesos.
The vaultedl church of Panayia tis Amasgou belongs to the
12th century and is covered by a second roof made of wood
and tiles. The monastery is now run as a nunnery.
The Archangelos at Monagri was built in 1740 on the
foundations of an older monastery that was burned down. Of
interest is the painted-wood carved iconostasis and the
nearby olive oil mill of the Roman period.
The nortern buildings of the monastery have been renovated
and turned into a Centre of Contemporary Art.
Timios Stavros at Kouka has an excellent example of the
Palaeologian style on a wall painting of the 14th century.
Not far away is the picturesque village of Laneia, a
favorite with artists.
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