Filenews 23 July 2023 - by Dora Christodoulou
The inauguration on Friday 12 July of the new chapel of Prophet Elias on the mountain that dominates between Tala and Koili, was the final act of a unique project in Pafos: The creation, essentially, of an ecclesiastical park focusing on the internationally renowned Monastery of Agios Neophytos in which thousands of visitors to the area will be able to exercise their personal needs in combination, such as pilgrimage, hiking, nature loving and rest in the greenery.
Centered on the Monastery of Agios Neophytos, in a large area in the area of Tala, three chapels have been completed and are now operating, Agios Ephraim, Agios Antonios and now Profitis Ilias. Apart from the religious element, the completion of the works on them also includes the existence of nature trails and walking routes in the already unique natural beauty and ecological value, so 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 Pafos Airport to the Sea Caves of Peyia.
The inauguration of the last of these religious works was celebrated on the evening of July 12 by the Archbishop of Cyprus George, together with the Bishop of Hytron and Abbot of Agios Neophytos, Leontios. At a high altitude, with breath taking views, the third chapel around the monastery was given to the faithful and other visitors of the area. The Prophet Elias has been built on the spot where there was another temple dedicated to his grace in antiquity, while the inauguration period was symbolic, since as it was stressed his memory is honoured every year on July 20, the anniversary of the obstructive day for Cyprus.
The first two of the chapels that are part of the project have been completed and have been open to visitors for months. These are the chapels of St. Anthony and St. Ephraim. The latter is already a point of daily arrival of dozens or even hundreds of believers on weekends and holidays, since it has been erected on the main road leading to the entrance of the Monastery of Agios Neophytos and its approach is very easy.
The lesser-known chapel of Agios Antonios, on the contrary, has been restored north of the Monastery, on top of the church that already existed and was covered by rubble over the years, and requires exercise and will from its visitors: One should climb the path with a total of 335 steps, which starts from the parking area of the monastery and ends at the clearing of the green slope where the sacred site was built.
