Church of the Holy Cross
Feast day: September 14 and Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross
The church in its current state is a combination of two churches belonging to two different phases. It measures 33.85 m by 15.50 m. The original church in the east is a building from the beginning of the 13th century, while the westernmost and largest part (approximately 2/3 of the total length), belongs to newer reconstructions and extensions. The initial phase of the 13th century belongs to the type of the simple cross-in-square with a dome, of which the eastern parts are preserved, i.e. the apse, the prothesis and the diakonikon. It was associated with the church and the monastery of Holy Cross “Faneromenos” mentioned in the sources. Its construction coincides with the establishment in Lefkara of the Orthodox Bishoprics of Amathous, Neapolis, Kourion and Kition, merged in 1260 by the Latins.
The central part of the main church is a later intermediate reconstruction, while the western part was replaced in 1867 by a three-aisled basilica with a colonnade and cruciform superstructure. According to the sources, both the church and the monastery of Holy Cross “Faneromenos” were rebuilt by monk Gabriel, a young shepherd named Georgios, who had miraculously discovered the stolen from Tochni and well-hidden Sacred Wood, left there in the 4th century by saint Helena. After confirming its authenticity, the Holy Wood remained in the monastery, the construction of which was funded by queen Alicia. It is, yet, possible that the sources refer to a renovation or expansion of an existing older phase, contemporary with the byzantine settlement. The fragments of the Holy Cross are kept in a dedicated section of the iconostasis. The church is adorned by a beautiful wood-carved iconostasis from the year 1749. It also holds important icons dating from the 16th to the 21st century, including the 18th-century icon of saint Neophytos the Recluse who was from Lefkara. The church is a listed monument (Table B). Its feast day is on September 14 and on the Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Cross.