Paphos Panayia Chrysopolitissa Church
For those looking for history and culture during their holidays you will be delighted to know that the entire town of Paphos is included in the Official UNESCO list of cultural and natural treasures of the world heritage. It doesn’t matter where you are in Paphos you will always come across some of its unique history that dates back thousands of years.
Being most famous as the birth place of the goddess Aphrodite, Paphos is also home to a great number of churches and monasteries as well as beautiful scenery and landscape. In Hellenistic and Roman times, Paphos was the capital of Cyprus and still today it is full of historical treasures and divine mediaeval churches and monasteries such as the Panayia Chrysopolitissa Church.
The Panayia Chrysopolitissa Church was built during the 13th century on the site where the ruins of one of the largest and earliest Byzantine basilicas stood. This was the largest basilica on the island of Cyprus. On your visit to the Panayia Chrysopolitissa Church you will find St. Paul’s Pillar. Located inside the compound tradition has it that Saint Paul was in fact flogged here. It was only after this that the Roman Governor Sergius Paulus was converted to Christianity.
The Church was originally built having seven aisles but this was later reduced to five aisles. The floors of the original basilica were covered in colourful mosaics and many of them have been preserved and can be seen today.
Excavations are ongoing on this ancient site and new treasures are being uncovered. As with all the ancient churches and tourist sites in Paphos mosaics are prominent and these beautiful handcrafted relics help to show us exactly how people in these times lived.
If history is something that intrigues you, Paphos will not disappoint. It may be just a small harbour town today but in ancient times Paphos was indeed a thriving city. Possessing all the beauty of the goddess Aphrodite, Paphos has the power to seduce visitors with its breath taking landscape, lovely coastline, and historical treasures that allow visitors delve into the past.