Filenews 9 April 2022 - by Dora Christodoulou
An impressive project in conception and execution has already begun to be implemented in its first stage in Paphos and especially in Tala, focusing on the famous monastery of Agios Neophytos. As "F" reveals today, it is an ecclesiastical park which will be unique in Cyprus and will extend over a huge area. It was a vision of the life of Archimandrite Alexios Englistrioti, who, died as a result of coronavirus last summer, and did not have time to see it implemented.
The ecclesiastical park, with the monastery of Agios Neophytos as its navel, will consist of three other chapels that are already being erected within a radius of a few kilometres from it. It will also include the creation of nature trails and hiking trails in the area around the monastery of unique natural beauty and ecological value, with the aim that pilgrims and travellers can combine their pilgrimage with a walk in nature and enjoy, from the highest points of the route, a breath-taking landscape that extends from Paphos airport to the Sea Caves of Pegeia.
The commencement of the execution of the planning was confirmed by his exclusive statements to "F" by the abbot of the monastery of Agios Neophytos, bishop Chytra Leontios. Already, he stressed, the first of the chapels that will be part of the project has been completed and is open to the faithful and other visitors. It is the chapel of St. Anthony, which has been restored north of the monastery. This was a church that already existed and had been covered by rubble over the years.
The chapel is now open to visitors. One only has to climb the path with a total of 335 steps, which starts from the parking lot of the monastery and ends at the clearing of the green slope where the sacred site was built.
At an even higher altitude, at the top of the mountain that dominates the monastery, during construction for some years and in the final construction plan, another chapel from the monastery of St. Neophytos. It is a temple dedicated to Prophet Elias, who has been built on the spot where there was another temple dedicated to his grace in antiquity. Today, the bishop of Chytra clarifies, the passage there is possible only by vehicle and through the road Tsadas – Koilis, since the existing road from the hill of Melissovounos, next to Agios Neophytos, is not suitable for approach.
The trio of "complementary" churches to the famous monastery that will constitute the first ecclesiastical park in Cyprus, is the chapel of St. Ephraim which is erected on the main road leading to the monastery and in close proximity to it.
Work continues feverishly
The crews are working feverishly for the completion of the chapel, while the area is already a place of worship and pilgrimage by dozens of citizens daily, since in contrast to the other two chapels that were erected in the area, it is located on the main road to Agios Neophytos, a fact that contributes to the stop of the people who go there for pilgrimage and at this point. More and more believers who take their walk to the monastery of Agios Neophytos make a stop in order to pray, to leave flowers or icons of the saint and to light a candle in the small makeshift place of worship that has been created by the faithful at the point of construction of the regular church.
As far as the construction works are concerned, the building has now been shaped externally as the people passing through the area can see and the crews are currently working mainly in its interior and in the large dome, while the sacred iconostasis of the church is ready.
To be moved the radio and television antennas
The least "religious", but most important given of the ongoing planning, is the movement of the huge radio and television antennas at the top of Melissovouno. The antennas have been in place for decades and the contract for the rental of the site from the monastery of Agios Neophytos with RIK, expired this year.
As Chytra Leontios reveals today, last week he already had a first contact with the cyBC administration on the subject, clarifying that the renting of the land was done with cyBC and not with other providers to whom apparently the semi-state institution is subletting the space for the installation of their antennas.
"The contract expired and we informed the cyBC management that we now want to move the facilities of the stations", stressed the bishop of Chytra. "We were asked for an extension of time to find other solutions on their part, which we do not rule out approving to facilitate them. CyBC suggested to us another solution, to keep only one antenna in Melissovounos and from it to provide service to all other stations. But this is something that concerns us. Obviously an antenna of such capabilities and sizes will have an impact on the emission of radio waves, potentially harmful to people's health. This issue we told them and advised that they should come to Agios Neophytos, analyze what data they have and discuss it in person.
Bishop Leontios finally makes it clear that when the antennas move occurs, the area they occupy today will not be used for another project or building activity, but will be part of the ecclesiastical park and its walking routes.
Four sacred sites, a religious "complex"
The vision of the late Archimandrite Alexios was that the four sacred sites in the area of Tala, constitute a religious "complex" which will be connected to each other by nature trails and walking routes that aim to exploit the uniquely beautiful area that surrounds the monastery of Agios Neophytos.
The abbot of the monastery, clarified that no other constructions are foreseen in the context of the creation of the ecclesiastical park, since the aim is the religiosity of the site, which is achieved with the infrastructure that is already in progress, but also because the cost is already large and the current economic situation of the monastery does not allow further openings.
The traveller in the area will be able to walk several kilometres in a green area that will start from Agios Ephraim and will ascend the imposing mountain of Melissovounos, above it, to the point where today are the antennas of the radio and television stations and for which the procedures of their removal from there are already underway.
Hikers will then be able to follow a northerly course up to the nearby mountain, reaching the chapel of Prophet Elias, with panoramic views of the Pafos coast and the mountains behind Tsada and Koili.
The infrastructure includes another nature trail from this point which, with a southwesterly course, will descend the mountain above the monastery of Agios Neophytos, with a stopover at Agios Antonios.
