12 tors can obtain the key from the adjacent house. Archangelos Michail at Pedoulas The church of Archangelos Michail at Pedoulas was built and decorated in 1474. It is a very small building with a usual sloping mountain roof. The church is completely decorated on two levels, with 11 compositions from the Festival Cycle on the top and depictions of the saints at the bottom. The Crucifixion and the Ascension are depicted in the pediments. It is an example of post-Byzantine paintings, 15 years before the Venetian rule. The key can be found at the adjacent house. Timios Stavros at Pelendri The church of Timios Stavros is situated in a central area of the Troodos mountain range, at
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frescoes of the late Comnenian style (1192). Together with the churches of Panagia Asinou and Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis, it is considered to be one of the most important Byzantine churches on the island. Visitors should ask for the priest - who can be found on the premises next to the church to escort them to the church. Panagia Asinou at Nikitari The famous Byzantine church of Asinou has some of the finest examples of Byzantine wall-painting on the island. Asinou comes from the Greek “Asine�, which is an ancient city that was founded by immigrants from the Greek city Argolis, in the 11th century BC. The church dates back to the early 12th century and the murals inside date back from the 12th century to the 17th century. Visitors should ask for the priest of the Nikitari village to escort them. Panagia tou Moutoulla at Moutoullas The tiny 13th century chapel of Panagia tou Moutoulla is found in the Moutoulla village. This chapel of the Virgin Mary has rare frescoes of Saint George and Saint Christopher - both arrayed for battle in Byzantine armour and of the Virgin Mary and the infant Christ. As yet unrestored, they are redolent of history. The church is one of the earliest dated examples of its type, with a steep pitched wooden roof. Visi-
the south end of the village of Pelendri, which is attested in the sources since the late 12th century. The 14th century church of Timiou Stavrou is decorated with exquisite wall-paintings of the Paleological period. Panagia Podithou at Galata This church is situated near the village of Galata, in Troodos. Furthermore, the church was erected in 1502 and it once belonged to a monastery. Its paintings are of the Italo-Byzantine style, which appeared on the island towards the end of the 15th century. Stavros tou Agiasmati at Platanistasa The 15th century church of Stavros tou Agiasmati is situated about 3 kilometres outside the mountain village of Platanistasa. The church retains the most complete cycles of mural paintings of the second half of the 15th century in Cyprus. The key to the church can be obtained from the village priest. Metamorphosis tou Sotiros at Palechori The Metamorphosis tou Sotiros Church (Transformation of the Saviour) is an early 16th century chapel, which is found on a hill overlooking the beautiful old village of Palechori, in Troodos. Its interior is completely painted with one of the most complete series of murals of the post-Byzantine period, in Cyprus.