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 The Village
  CHURCHES / CHAPELS  
  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.