Machairas monastery - Revision history

Irlandos: /* Architecture */

2011-12-29T08:38:23Z

Architecture

Irlandos at 08:37, December 29, 2011

2011-12-29T08:37:39Z

Irlandos: /* History */

2007-10-25T12:32:14Z

History

Irlandos: New page: Machairas (Greek: Μαχαιράς) is a historic monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary located about 40 km from the capital of Cyprus, Nicosia. It lies at an altitude of ...

2007-08-02T10:39:39Z

New page: Machairas (Greek: Μαχαιράς) is a historic monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary located about 40 km from the capital of Cyprus, Nicosia. It lies at an altitude of ...

New page

Machairas (Greek: Μαχαιράς) is a historic monastery dedicated to the [[Virgin Mary]] located about 40 km from the capital of [[Cyprus]], [[Nicosia]]. It lies at an [[altitude]] of about 900 m and was founded at the end of the [[12th century]] close to the current village of [[Lazanias]].

== History ==
Legend has it that an unknown hermit smuggled one of the 70 icons said to have been painted by [[Luke the Apostle]], secretly from [[Asia Minor]] to Cyprus. This icon of the Virgin Mary remained in its hiding place until the arrival of two other hermits from Palestine in [[1145]]: Neophytos and Ignatius who stumbled across the icon in a cave. To reach it, the had to machete their way into the cave through the thick plant growth, so the icon assumed the name 'Machairotissa' in reference to the Greek word for knife μαχαίρι (Machaira). The whole monastery founded on this site takes its name from this icon.

Following the death of Neophytos, Ignatios travelled with Prokopios (another hermit) to [[Constantinople]] in the year [[1172]] where they succeeded in obtaining financial assistance from the then [[Byzantine]] emperor [[Manuel I Komnenos]]. The monastery was also granted ownership of the entire mountain on which it is now situated and the status of stavropegion (meaning it remained independent from the area bishopric). The initial monastery was then enlarged by the monk Neilos in the early [[13th century]]. He became the first abbot of the monastery (later he even became bishop of [[Tamassos]]). The monastery received further grants from two other Byzantine emperors: emperor [[Isaac II Angelos]] granted cash and land in Nicosia and emperor [[Alexios III Angelos]] donated 24 serfs. <ref> The Making of a Saint: The Life, Times and Sanctification of Neophytos the Recluse, p174, Catia Galatariotou, Cambridge University Press ISBN 0521521882 [http://books.google.co.uk/books?vid=ISBN0521521882&id=QUDFu-JTIPMC&pg=PA174&lpg=PA174&vq=Machairas+monastery&dq=Machairas+monastery&sig=qhK3fIyZgVAbbZNBh5anK16Rthk] </ref>

==Architecture==
The monastery has a rectangular layout and a red-tiled timber roof. The main entrance faces towards the east a second faces due west. The supporting buildings and monk's cells are built around a centrally located church designed in Byzantine style. The main aisle of the church is lined with an attractive row of columns. It is covered by a dome and the large tiled roof. The interior of the church is decorated with religious icons, chandeliers, stone floors and wall frescoes. As expected, the icon of the Virgin Mary takes a prominent position. Currently the monastery holds 20-30 orthodox 25 monks which live of agricultural activities.

== Festivals==
The monastery holds festivals in the name of the Virgin Mary twice a year: 20-21 of November and 14-15 of August.

==References==
<references/>

{{Credit wikipedia}}

[[Category:monasteries]]

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 ==Architecture==
-The monastery has a rectangular layout and a red-tiled timber roof. The main entrance faces towards the east a second faces due west. The supporting buildings and monk's cells are built around a centrally located church designed in Byzantine style. The main aisle of the church is lined with an attractive row of columns. It is covered by a dome and the large tiled roof. The interior of the church is decorated with religious icons, chandeliers, stone floors and wall frescoes. As expected, the icon of the Virgin Mary takes a prominent position. Currently the monastery holds 20-30 orthodox  monks which live of agricultural activities.
+The monastery has a rectangular layout and a red-tiled timber roof. The main entrance faces towards the east a second faces due west. The supporting buildings and monk's cells are built around a centrally located church designed in Byzantine style. The main aisle of the church is lined with an attractive row of columns. It is covered by a dome and the large tiled roof. The interior of the church is decorated with religious icons, chandeliers, stone floors and wall frescoes. As expected, the icon of the Virgin Mary takes a prominent position. Currently the monastery holds 20-30 orthodox  monks most of which live off agricultural activities.
 == Festivals==

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:32, October 25, 2007
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	Following the death of Neophytos, Ignatios travelled with Prokopios (another hermit) to [[Constantinople]] in the year [[1172]] where they succeeded in obtaining financial assistance from the then [[Byzantine]] emperor [[Manuel I Komnenos]]. The monastery was also granted ownership of the entire mountain on which it is now situated and the status of stavropegion (meaning it remained independent from the area bishopric). The initial monastery was then enlarged by the monk Neilos in the early [[13th century]]. He became the first abbot of the monastery (later he even became bishop of [[Tamassos]]). The monastery received further grants from two other Byzantine emperors: emperor [[Isaac II Angelos]] granted cash and land in Nicosia and emperor [[Alexios III Angelos]] donated 24 serfs. <ref> The Making of a Saint: The Life, Times and Sanctification of Neophytos the Recluse, p174, Catia Galatariotou, Cambridge University Press ISBN 0521521882 [http://books.google.co.uk/books?vid=ISBN0521521882&id=QUDFu-JTIPMC&pg=PA174&lpg=PA174&vq=Machairas+monastery&dq=Machairas+monastery&sig=qhK3fIyZgVAbbZNBh5anK16Rthk] </ref>		Following the death of Neophytos, Ignatios travelled with Prokopios (another hermit) to [[Constantinople]] in the year [[1172]] where they succeeded in obtaining financial assistance from the then [[Byzantine]] emperor [[Manuel I Komnenos]]. The monastery was also granted ownership of the entire mountain on which it is now situated and the status of stavropegion (meaning it remained independent from the area bishopric). The initial monastery was then enlarged by the monk Neilos in the early [[13th century]]. He became the first abbot of the monastery (later he even became bishop of [[Tamassos]]). The monastery received further grants from two other Byzantine emperors: emperor [[Isaac II Angelos]] granted cash and land in Nicosia and emperor [[Alexios III Angelos]] donated 24 serfs. <ref> The Making of a Saint: The Life, Times and Sanctification of Neophytos the Recluse, p174, Catia Galatariotou, Cambridge University Press ISBN 0521521882 [http://books.google.co.uk/books?vid=ISBN0521521882&id=QUDFu-JTIPMC&pg=PA174&lpg=PA174&vq=Machairas+monastery&dq=Machairas+monastery&sig=qhK3fIyZgVAbbZNBh5anK16Rthk] </ref>
		+
		+	In modern history, the monastery became known from the [[Battle of Machairas]] which took place nearby, on [[March 3]], [[1957]], during the [[EOKA]] struggle against the British, in which [[Grigoris Afxentiou]] was killed.

	==Architecture==		==Architecture==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Machairas (Greek: Μαχαιράς) is a historic monastery dedicated to the [[Virgin Mary]] located about 40 km from the capital of [[Cyprus]], [[Nicosia]]. It lies at an [[altitude]] of about 900 m and was founded at the end of the [[12th century]] close to the current village of [[Lazanias]].
+Machairas (Greek: Μαχαιράς) is a historic monastery dedicated to the [[Virgin Mary]] located about 40 km from the capital of [[Cyprus]], [[Nicosia]]. It lies at an altitude of about 900 m and was founded at the end of the [[12th century]] close to the current village of [[Lazanias]].
 == History ==
@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 ==Architecture==
-The monastery has a rectangular layout and a red-tiled timber roof. The main entrance faces towards the east a second faces due west. The supporting buildings and monk's cells are built around a centrally located church designed in Byzantine style. The main aisle of the church is lined with an attractive row of columns. It is covered by a dome and the large tiled roof. The interior of the church is decorated with religious icons, chandeliers, stone floors and wall frescoes. As expected, the icon of the Virgin Mary takes a prominent position. Currently the monastery holds 20-30 orthodox 25 monks which live of agricultural activities.
+The monastery has a rectangular layout and a red-tiled timber roof. The main entrance faces towards the east a second faces due west. The supporting buildings and monk's cells are built around a centrally located church designed in Byzantine style. The main aisle of the church is lined with an attractive row of columns. It is covered by a dome and the large tiled roof. The interior of the church is decorated with religious icons, chandeliers, stone floors and wall frescoes. As expected, the icon of the Virgin Mary takes a prominent position. Currently the monastery holds 20-30 orthodox  monks which live of agricultural activities.
 == Festivals==