Church of Panagia(Our Lady) Phorviotissa (Asinou) Nikitari, Nicosia
The church is one of the most important monuments of the history of Byzantine painting on the island. It is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage monument since 1985. It is situated 3km from the village of Nikitari.
A dedicatory inscription indicates that the church was built with the donation of Magistros Nikephoros Ischyrios. A monastery was founded in 1909 and it functioned until the end of the 18th century.
The church is consisted by two parts, the vaulted single-aisled nave and the narthex which was added on the second half of the 12th century AD.Its interior is entirely covered with wall paintings dating from different periods. The art of these paintings reflect the influence from the Byzantine capital, Constantinople. The earliest paintings date in the 1105/6 and others were added later on due to restorations of the building.
Picture: Carr, A. W. & Nicolaides, A. (2012) Asinou Across Time, Washington, DC, Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection
Cyprus Archaeology Gazette
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