in-cyprus 17 January 2020 -Edited by Bouli Hadjioannou
A waterfall at Ayios Neophytos monastery in Paphos is back after the recent rains. The waterfall is dry most of the year and only comes to life after heavy rainfall.
Located about 9km north of Paphos, the monastery of Ayios Neophytos was founded by the Cypriot recluse and writer Neophytos in the second half of the 12th century, in what used to be a secluded location at the head of the picturesque valley.
The hermit carved a cave out of the mountains called the ‘Enkleistra’, which is covered with some of the finest examples of Byzantine frescoes that date back from the 12th to the 15th centuries. The monastery has a noteworthy ecclesiastical museum and its later church also contains some of the finest Post-Byzantine icons dating to the 16th century.
The waterfall drops near the Enkleistra and from there is channeled to the monastery’s cultivations.