- #CY05
- Near Tala village, 9km north of Pafos
- +35726652481
- stneoph@logos.cy.net, iman@logos.cy.net
- http://www.stneophytos.org.cy/
- Working hours*:
Museum and Enkleistra:
April - October, daily: 09:00 - 13:00 / 14:00 - 18:00
November - March, daily: 09:00 - 16:00 - Prices*:
Museum and Enkleistra: €2,00 - * - opening and closing times as well as entrance prices, are subject to alterations without notice. Visitors are advised to check before visiting.
- 34.8464670, 32.4465830 Copy to clipboard Copy
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#Monasteries
Agios Neophytos (Saint Neophytos) monastery lies 10km outside Paphos, near the village of Tala. In 1159 Saint Neophytos was the founder the monastery, which of course, did not carry his name. He lived there and died at the age of 85 in 1219. The main church of the monastery was built around two hundred years after his death and it is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
A famous painter, Theodoros Apsevdis, undertook the task of painting the frescoes in the Enkleistra (cave enclosure). You can also see many wonderful Byzantine icons of outstanding artistic quality in the main church of the monastery and you can also visit the monastery museum, which has exhibits from ancient times and the Byzantine period.
The cave with the cell of Saint Neophytos (Enkleistra) is a truly remarkable thing to behold. The Enkleistra, an enclosure carved out of the mountain by the hermit himself, contains some of the finest Byzantine frescoes dating from the 12th to the 15th century. This is where he devoted his whole life to Christ, spending his days in fasting and prayer. His table is hewn from rock and the stone platform on which he slept are both still preserved in his cell, as is his grave.