Larnaca - Stavrovouni Monastery / Hill of the Cross

(Local Name: Stavrovoúni) West of Larnaca, on a commanding hill, stands the Stavrovouni Monastery (Hill of the Cross, 2,231ft/680m), founded in 327 by Ste Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine.

The whole mountain has long been important in religious terms. In the Classical period, pilgrims came to a temple to Aphrodite at its summit.

Perched on the rocky peak now is Stavrovouni or Mountain of the Cross. According to tradition, it was founded in A.D. 370 by St Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, who left a fragment of the Holy Cross to the Monastery.

At the time Cyprus was said to have infested by deadly snakes and the forests were said to be burning.

It is widely