Timiou Stavrou (Holy Cross), Cyprus

Uh-oh... It's been ages since I last posted here, it seems. I don't want to go into detail here, I'll just say that I haven't really been in the mood for updating this blog (and as a result the pile of cards I WOULD eventually like to post about here is getting bigger and bigger). This first card isn't even all that recent.. I received it back in 2009, from the same woman who sent me this card, and one more that might end up in this blog one day..



Anyway, this card shows the Timiou Stavrou (Holy Cross) church. This small 14th century church was restored in 1995 and has a unique icon of Christ flanked by the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist. Fine wall paintings blend Byzantine Orthodox and Venetian Catholic influences. It is one of the Painted Churches in the Troodos Region, Cyprus, a Unesco site. This region is characterized by one of the largest groups of churches and monasteries of the former Byzantine Empire. The complex of 10 monuments included on the World Heritage List, all richly decorated with murals, provides an overview of Byzantine and post-Byzantine painting in Cyprus. They range from small churches whose rural architectural style is in stark contrast to their highly refined decoration, to monasteries such as that of St John Lampadistis.