The tiny Byzantine church of Timiou Stavros, Peléndhri, Cyprus
The 14th century church of Timios Stavrou (Holy Cross) in Pelendri village is decorated with exquisite wall paintings of the Palaiologan period and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The church was originally a single-aisled domed structure, built around the middle of the 12th century, and may have been the church of a cemetery. It was destroyed under unknown circumstances, and the present form of the church is the result of several additions and alterations, carried out throughout various periods, with only the original apse surviving. According to an inscription in the apse, the original wall paintings date to 1171 / 1172 with fragments of the decoration preserved on the apse under the layer of the 14th century frescoes. The main part of the church was decorated during the second half of the 14th century by at least two artists. The north aisle served as a private chapel for the family of the Latin feudal lord of the area, Ioannes Lusignan (1353 - 1374 / 1375), and the village itself was once the property of Jean de Lusignan, son of the Lusignan King of Cyprus, Hugh IV.
Size: 5120px × 3413px
Location: Timios Stavros Church, Pelendri, Limassol District, Cyprus
Photo credit: © will Perrett / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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