Throni Hill and Makarios' Tomb

Throni Hill translates as Throne Hill, because this is where the tomb of Archbishop Makarios III lies, and where the procession of the Virgin of the Rain takes place. It stands 3km north-west of Kykkos Monastery on a rough mountain top at 1,450 metres.

The Virgin of the Rain

The hill is directly connected to the monastery. In times of drought the fathers of Kykkos would pray to the holy icon for rain — which is how the Virgin of Kykkos came to be called the Virgin of the Rain, and how the custom began of carrying the icon up to Throni, placing her on the wooden throne and praying for the drought to break.

In 1935 the original wooden throne was replaced by a structure designed by a local architect, Philippos Loizou — a canopy carried on four poles. A 2km road was built in 1959 to make the site easier to reach.

The tomb, and the rebuilding

The first president of Cyprus chose this ground for his tomb. It is partly underground and partly above, a few metres below the top of the mountain. The structure standing today dates from 2011, after the previous one was demolished; the new one combines Byzantine and modern elements, in an octagonal plan, with a copper composition of Christ and the Virgin Mary along with the apostles and prophets.

Walking the site

At the entrance you are met by the bronze statue of Makarios, moved here in 2008 from the Archbishop’s Palace in Nicosia and set in a square designed for it at the northern approach. From there a circular path leads to the tomb, another climbs to the throne at the summit, and a third runs across to the monastery — all of them through forest with the Troodos laid out around you.

Mosaic compositions were set along the length of the pathway, with icons to left and right on the climb, and white pillars and stone walling between them. There is also a wishing tree here, where people tie a piece of cloth with a message in the hope that the Virgin will grant it.