| Church of
Agios Theodoros The
church of Agios Theodoros is situated at the same place where
an old church, dedicated to the same saint, was built. The
old one was a basilica and stone made. The external wall had
about one meter width. Unfortunately, the big earthquake that
stroke Paphos in 1954 has caused thousands of dead and injured
people and also has demolished the church. Actually the half
of the church was completely ruined and the other half was
crumbly. The only part, which was rescued from the earthquake,
was the Temple. For that reason, the inhabitants of the village
decided to construct a new church in 1955.
The
construction of the church lasted five years. It is a quite
big church and its capacity is 1000 people. It is a basilica
with a dome and made of stones, extracted from the area around
the village. The yard of the church is big and it has fencing:
on the southeast of the yard there is a big wall and on the
west side there is a baluster. On the north side there is
an opening, which borders with the yard of the school. The
bell tower is very tall, made of cement and it has only one
bell.
The church has no wall paintings, but there
is a unique iconostasis, made of mosaic and it has three doors.
The portable icons are dated in the 1960. On the top of the
iconostasis there are two narrower zones with icons of several
Saints. The first zone depicts the festal cycle (dodekaorton),
and the second zone depicts the Apostles.
The psalters are simple and wooden. Despite
the big size of the church, there is no gallery. The old icon
of Saint Theodoros is placed in the church of Saint Kirikos
and Ioulitis, in a special fenestra, but in the church of
Theodoros there is an hagiography dedicated to the saint and
which is placed on the left side of the iconostasis in a special
fenestra.
The feast of Saint Theodoros is on 8 February,
the day of his martydom, and on 8 June, the day of the removal
of the saint’s relics. Agios Theodoros is believed to be thaumaturge
and a lot of people make vows and invocations to him.
Church of Saint Kirikos and Ioulitis
The
old church of Saint Kirikos and Ioulitis is a beautiful ecclesiastic
building. It is situated southeastern of the village.
It is a cruciform church with a dome and
it is dated back to the 12th century but many interventions
have been made, mainly during the late 15th century. There
are few wall paintings from the 12th century, but the majority
of them are dated in the 15th century. During a restoration,
which took place 10 years ago, some wall paintings were found
to have the date of their creation.
The
church is stone made and it is perfectly restored. It is placed
under the surface of the ground, for about 1,5 meters. The
yard is relatively big and it has fencing. On the southeast
the old wall is preserved but on the northwest there is a
baluster. Before the big earthquake of 1954, there was also
a big front door (xoporti) with an arch. The bell tower is
stone made and it was built in 1950.
Inside the church there are old wall paintings.
Some of them have some damage due to humidity. The iconostasis
is made of marble and
the portable icons that frame it, are dated back in 1919.
Above the iconostasis, there is a second and narrower zone
of miniatures of the Apostles. The only psalter of the church
is simple and wooden. There is no gallery and the church is
flat on the inside.
The feast of Saint Kirikos and Ioulitis
is on 15th July and it is celebrated with a big feast in the
presence of the eparch of Paphos.
Church of Panagia Theotokos
This church was built during the Byzantine
era, in the 11th century, and it was the first of the community.
It was a stone made basilica and it can accommodate up to
500 people. It is situated on the northeast of the village.
Nowadays only the remnants of the old church rest, as the
church has collapsed after a big earthquake. The only part
of it that remained untouched is the Temple and it indicates
that there were some wall paintings in the church. One of
the wall paintings found it the Temple, depicts the Crucified
Christ when he was carried away from the Cross- with the help
of a stair. The time and the bad weather conditions have caused
damage to all the remaining wall paintings but the church
is now under the protection of the Department of Antiquities
and nobody can make any alterations in the church.
The traditional houses of the village are spread around the
church. The inhabitants have constructed a new bell on metallic
columns. The bell calls the faithful on Easter Tuesday for
the Resurrection service.
Chapel of Saint Nicolas
The chapel of Saint Nicolas was situated
eastern of the village and the date of its construction is
unknown. The chapel was built on land once belonged to the
metropolis but it was sold by the Church, in order to raise
money for the construction of the church of Agios Theodoros.
Nowdays, in the place of the chapel, there is a house.
The community of Letymbou does not forget
saint Nicolas. On the feast day of the saint, there is a celebrating
mass in the central church of the village. The inhabitants
of Letymbou, but also people from the vicinal villages come
to the church to honor Saint Nicolas.
Chapel of Agia Marina
This small chapel is situated northeastern
of the village near the church of Panagia Theotokos.
The date of its construction is unknown. Only the remnants
of the old chapel stand today as the earthquakes and the time
caused its collapse. In the place of the old chapel there
is now a small iconostasis with a vigil oil lamp and an icon
of Agia Marina.
The feast day of Agia Marina is on 17 July,
and there is a mass in the church of Agios Theodoros followed
by procession of the icon of Agia Marina.
Chapel of Panagia Photolampousa
Panagia was called “Photolampousa” (shining
light) because she could cure any affection of the eyes or
heal blind people.
The chapel was built in the 18th century
and it is situated on a hill of a mountain, one kilometer
outside the village.
Unfortunately, time has caused severe damage
to this small chapel and the community has made serious efforts
to restore it. From 1985 to 1987 the chapel was restored and
extended and now its capacity is 400 people. It is a basilica
with a wooden roof. It is stone made but the exterior wall
is white. The yard is quite big and cemented. It is surrounded
by a wall on which there are incorporated benches with ceramic
marble. People can sit there during the mass. The bell tower
is tall with arches.
Inside the church there is a beautiful wall
painting of Panagia Platitera, which was financed by a villager
after the renovation of the church. The iconostasis was replaced
with a wooden and carven one and it has two doors. The one
and only psalter of the church is wooden and very simple.
The inside of the chapel is flat and there is no gallery.
The church celebrates mass three times a
year. On 21 November (the Presentation of the Virgin in the
Temple and also the inauguration of the church), on 15 August
(the Dormition of the Theotokos), and on Easter Friday.
Chapel of Saint George
According to an old tradition, the chapel
of Saint George was built in the 10th century. It is situated
eastern of the village. Unfortunately, the earthquakes and
the time have caused its collapse and today there are only
the remnants of this old chapel. It was built in a parcel
that once belonged to the Church and it was sold in order
to raise money for the construction of the church of Agios
Theodoros. The new owners of the chapel have put a small iconostasis
with an icon of Saint George and a vigil oil lamp. The feast
day of the Saint is on 23 April when there is a celebrating
mass in the church of Agios Theodoros and later on a procession
of the icon of Saint George.
Chapel of Agios Epiphanios
The chapel of Agios Epiphanios is
also ruined and only the remnants rest in the place of the
old chapel.The exact date of its construction is unknown but
it is said that it was built around the 11th century. It is
placed southwestern of the village and on the right side of
the church of Saint Kirikos and Ioulitis. It is said that
the chapel was a basilica with a dome. Now, the only part
of it that is left is the external wall of the temple, six
feet tall. It seems that on the north wall there were some
wall paintings but unfortunately they are completely ruined.
The feast day of the saint is on 12 May. The service for this
feast takes place in the central church of Agios Theodoros
and it is also followed by procession of the icon.
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