In the southern foothills of the Troodos Mountains, less than 1 mile (1.5 km) south of Monagri (Limassol district), high up on the slope descending to the west bank of the Koures river at 500m a.s.l. The (recently reactivated) monastery is not attested before the Ottoman period, when it was granted to the patriarchate of Alexandria [Kyriazes (1950) 100-104; Kyprianos (1788) 393; Boyd (1974) 277, n.1], although a foundation date in the late 11th century for the monastic community has been suggested [MKE 2, 21-22].
Description: Originally perhaps a barrel vaulted or timber roofed single aisle structure built in limestone rubble, only the semi-circular wall of the apse with a triple window and the east wall survive from the original building. If the latter was indeed either simply timber roofed, or had a protective timber roof over a masonry vault, it would provide one of the earliest examples of this type, whose earliest surviving dated specimen is the Moutoullas church of 1280 [Boyd (1974) 279-86]. A late 12th-century Anastasis icon from the church is now kept at the bishopric of Limassol [Papageorgiou (1988) 242-44; Evans and Wixom (1997) 127].
Dating: The fresco decoration provides an early 12th-century date for the original phase of the church [Boyd (1974) 285-86 and 290].
Later additions / alterations: In the late 12th or (early?) 13th century the church was rebuilt (after an earthquake?) with a pointed vault, and it was decorated incorporating the east part from the earlier phase. The west bay was redecorated in the 14th century, while in the 16th century ribs were added to strengthen the vault, the apse window was blocked, and the (now ruined) south aisle / porch was built [Boyd (1974) 285-286, 291, 322, 327; Winfield (1978) 281-83; Stylianou (1985) 238-45].
Modern repairs: The masonry was consolidated and the later additions around the apse were removed in 1960, when a hoard of Lusignan coins was found concealed in the apse window [ARDA 1960, 11; BCH 85 (1961) 272; Boyd (1974) 280 and 347-49]. The timber roof was rebuilt in the mid-1980s [ARDA 1986, 21-22], while the rebuilding of the ruined monastic complex around the church begun in 1991 [ARDA 1991, 23]. The frescoes were cleaned by Dumbarton Oaks in 1969-72 [ARDA 1970, 11; BCH 94 (1970) 297; Winfield (1971a) 259-62, Winfield (1971b) 149, Winfield (1978) 281-83] and they were treated again in 1990 [ARDA 1990, 27].
Early literature: Mentioned by Jeffery as ‘Panayia Mayasyou’, and then by Gunnis who dates the church to the 16th century [Jeffery (1918) 361; Gunnis (1936) 346-47].
Plan / section: Boyd (1974) 276 and 281-84 [by R. Anderson].