Basilica of saint Athanasios Pentaschoinitis

Feast day: July 10

The basilica of saint Athanasios Pentaschoinitis, a local saint of the early 7th century, is located on the banks of the river Pentaschoinos, which runs into the southern coast of Cyprus. During the time of saint Athanasios, the river Pentaschoinos was the eastern boundary of the Province of Amathusia. The saint died at a young age and the place of his burial, the cemetery of the settlement of Pentaschoina, became a place of honour, worship and miracles, as early as the second half of the 7th century. The church that was built in his honour, probably in the 8th century, is a typical type of a transitional domed, three-aisled and four-columned basilica, with most probably arched side aisles. It is unknown if the central aisle had a wooden roof or an arch, in both cases with a dome, and thus a mixed system, like in the case of other monuments of Cyprus of this period. 

According to written sources, the church suffered serious damage in the earthquake of 1491, some repairs followed, but it was finally abandoned in the 16th-17th century. The devotion to saint Athanasios was widespread throughout Cyprus, since he is depicted in a significant number of churches, dating from the 12th to the 16th century. The great chronicler of Cyprus, Leontios Machairas, underlines that the tomb of saint Athanasios was, during the 15th century, a significant site where miracles took place. The excavations carried out by the Department of Antiquities during the period 2004-2005 revealed the previously unrecorded three-aisled church above the underground tomb of saint Athanasios. Excavations were carried out inside the church and in the courtyard in 2014. The Fundraising Committee of saint Athanasios, founded by the Holy Metropolis of Trimythoundos in 2012, financed the initial projects for reinforcing the basilica and also funded the important project of supporting, covering and maintaining the church and the surrounding area. Works began on the 15th of January 2022. By March 2024, the first major part of the works on the church were completed, while the works continue in the surrounding area. The church is a listed monument (Table B). Its feast day is on the 10th of July.