Ayia Napa Cathedral, Limassol

On Ayiou Antreou Street in Limassol, the Ayia Napa Cathedral is a Byzantine-style church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and one of the city’s landmarks — as much for the quiet inside it as for the building.

From chapel to cathedral

Its roots go back to the 13th century, when it was built as a modest chapel. It was renovated and extended repeatedly over the centuries, most significantly in the 19th, when the rebuilding turned the chapel into a full cathedral with the frescoes and icons it is known for.

The exterior combines yellow sandstone and marble, under a domed roof topped with ornamental crosses — Byzantine in influence, as much of medieval Cyprus is, and legible from a good distance across the city.

Inside

The interior walls carry frescoes of scenes from the Bible and of the saints of the Orthodox tradition. The most striking single object is the iconostasis, the screen of icons dividing the sanctuary from the body of the church: worked in gold leaf and hung with icons of saints and biblical figures.

The cathedral remains an active place of worship where the local community gathers, and visitors are welcome to attend the services.