Situated near the north coast, 1 mile (1.5 km) southwest of Kalograia (Kyrenia district) in a wooded valley on the northern slopes of the Pentadaktylos Mountains overlooking the sea, at 400m a.s.l. The now defunct monastery on the site is first attested in the 16th century [Papacostas (1999a) 6.B.I.11].
Description: The domed octagon structure was built in regular courses of good ashlar. It has a tripartite sanctuary with a large semi-circular apse (with three windows), flanked by rectangular parabemata. The naos rises on an irregular plan with cylindrical piers (two free-standing to the east and six attached to the walls) supporting the very irregular large dome over a pendentive zone and pointed arches, while there are squinch-like vaults over the southwest and the northwest piers [Papageorgiou (1985a) 329; Stylianou (1996) 1230-31].
Dating: A late 12th century date has been proposed [Papageorgiou (1985a) 329; Stylianou (1996) 1230-31] based on the fresco decoration of c.1200 [Stylianou (1985) 470-73; Hadermann-Misguich (1985) 246-50; MKE 2, 222-24] and the pointed arches [after the mid-12th century: Megaw and Hawkins (1962) 284]. A 13th-century date has been suggested by Soteriou for all Cypriot domed octagons, although previously a tentative 12th-century date had also been proposed [Soteriou (1942) 429-31, Soteriou (1931a) 485].
Later additions / alterations: In the 14th / 15th century (?) the west wall of the church was replaced by pointed arches which open into a new vaulted narthex, while probably in the 16th century a south portico was added [Enlart/Hunt (1987) 206-8; Jeffery (1918) 336-37; MKE 2, 222-24]. Late 15th-century fresco decoration has been preserved in the naos, mainly in the dome and on the north and south walls [Stylianou (1985) 476-84].
Modern repairs: The roof tiling was repaired in the early 20th century, and unspecified repairs to the dome were carried out shortly before 1930 [Jeffery (1918) 337, Jeffery (1931) 24]. The narthex vault was strengthened, the roof and the pavement were repaired, the dome was re-tiled and new drum window panels were installed in 1938, copied from the surviving originals [RDAC 1937-39, 180; on window panels, see Jeffery (1907a) 6-8]. The south portico was consolidated and the bema roof was repaired in 1962 [ARDA 1962, 13]. The frescoes were consolidated and were cleaned in the late 1960s / early 1970s [ARDA 1968, 11, 1969, 11, 1971, 13, 1972, 15, 1973, 17; AD 29 (1973/74) 1014-15], while the wall-paintings were damaged / looted after 1974 and were partly recovered in 1998.
Early literature: Described briefly by Enlart in the 1890s and then by Jeffery and Gunnis [Enlart/Hunt (1987) 206-8; Jeffery (1907a) 6-8, Jeffery (1918) 336-37, Jeffery (1931) 24; Gunnis (1936) 194-95].
Views: Jeffery (1931) 24; Soteriou (1935) pl. 24, 59b and 145b; Papageorgiou (1965b) pl. LIII, (1966a) 227; Stylianou (1985) 469.
Plan / section: Jeffery (1915/16) 117; Soteriou (1935) 21 [the late medieval portico which is shown in Jeffery’s plan has been omitted in Soteriou’s plan].