Monastery of Trooditissa (Cyprus, Troodos): description, history and interesting facts

In the mountains of Troodos massif, on the border of two villages - Platres and Prodromos - is an amazing monastery, which is called one of the most beautiful in Cyprus. This shrine has long been famous for the miracles that occur in it.

The name of the monastery

The unfolded name of the shrine is the Monastery of Our Lady of Trooditissa. The name of the Mother of God in this case came from the geographical name of the mountain, in the translation meaning "three ways". These roads connected the three main Cypriot cities with the mountain range. At first the name of the icon, which was the main shrine of the monastery, was "Troodiotissa", and later it was reduced to the customary form today.

Creation of spiritual monasteries in Cyprus

Most of the spiritual cloisters of Cyprus were founded as a kind of shelter for icons, which were famous for their miraculous abilities. The period of the monasteries is dated by the time of iconoclasm and dislike of religious relics. In the VIII century, many of the religious shrines were secretly exported to Byzantium, where the ancient customs were more venerated. In the same way, Maheras and the temple of the Mother of God of Aracas appeared. A similar story occurred with the advent of the Trooditissa monastery in Cyprus .

The history that preceded the emergence of the monastery of Trooditissa

According to an ancient tradition, one of the Byzantine monks brought to Cyprus the same icon. Arriving on the island, the priest settled in the oldest monastery of St. Nicholas, which is located not far from Limassol. Later, the Blessed Virgin herself showed him the way to the Troodos Mountains, appearing as a deity. Going after this divine sign, the monk reached the legendary cave, in which he settled. This place was located to the east of the modern shrine. The cave became the refuge of the monk until the end of his days. After a short time after the death of the monk, the Mother of God again showed her will. Local residents took this as a sign that on the site of an unusual phenomenon it is necessary to build a temple. Today it is the monastery of Trooditissa (Cyprus). That's how it came to life.

The history of the erection of the monastery

The shepherd from the deserted village of Afames today saw the magic glow of the Mother of God every night. In order to quench his curiosity, he went to seek the clue that lurked in the cave. The shepherd brought a shining icon to his village. Local residents were amazed by its beauty and decided that this shrine should be in the monastery. The construction of the temple was also accompanied by miracles. For example, jugs with water recruited in a nearby river, broke at night. Thanks to these signs, people realized that this is the wrong place to build a monastery. One day a jug of water appeared miraculously on the spot where the monastery stands today. Residents of the village took this sign for the sign of the Mother of God. After a while, a life-giving source began to flow from the place where the vessel was found. Such a wonderful story is the monastery of Trooditissa. Troodos began to visit a huge number of pilgrims since the monastery was built.

Historical facts

It's no secret that the holy place appeared long ago, but there is practically no mention of it until the beginning of the XVIII century. Up to our time, only a few names of hegumens have come down, as well as facts about the arson of the temple by the Turks. The miraculous icon was saved miraculously. Thanks to the description of the monastery by Grigorovich-Barsky, in history there was a detailed portrait of the shrine. According to him, it was "not a very big and poor monastery, which is located in a beautiful scenic area." Nearby were three inexhaustible springs with clear water. In the summer, it was truly a paradise in which birds sang.

Shrines

The monastery of Trooditissa is famous for such relics as the icon of Our Lady of Trooditissa and its belt. It should be noted that this miraculous belt in modern times was brought to many monasteries and temples of Russian cities. Thanks to these shrines, many couples diagnosed with "infertility" who believe in miracles can have children. The main component of the fulfillment of desires is sincerity and faith. In order to achieve success in the desired, it is necessary to perform a holy rite. A woman who wants to have children is put on a belt and begins to read divine prayers about the birth of a child and his health. This miraculous ritual is free. There is an opinion that it always helps, even in hopeless and neglected cases. Such miracles are famous for Trooditissa (monastery). The reviews of numerous pilgrims also confirm this. Someone after long years of infertility gave birth to healthy children, and someone brought their sick children here, and they immediately recovered.

Icon of Our Lady of Trooditis

According to the legend, which is passed more than one century from generation to generation, the image of the same Mother of God was created by one of the apostles. His name is Luke. Over 600 icons are considered to be the evangelist's creations. At the same time, different temples and churches differ in their opinion as to the authenticity of these icons. In the XVII century, this holy icon was restored and almost re-written. Her author this time was Solomon Fites - a famous legendary icon painter. Today, the life-giving image is in the lower row of the most beautiful iconostasis of the monastery, on the left side of the royal gate.

Legend of the holy icon

An interesting legend is intimately connected with the most miraculous icon of Trooditissa . Unknown at the time, a man named John arrived in the mountainous terrain of Troodos along with his wife. The purpose of their visit to these lands was to pray in the local cloister for the gift of children. This couple swore before the Lord that if the boy was born, he would be given to one of the monasteries, in which he would become a monk. Sincere prayer, which went from the heart, was heard. Soon the woman found out that she was pregnant, and her joy was boundless. The couple had a son, whom they soon baptized in the same temple.

Time flew by, already elderly parents did not want to be separated from their only beloved son. They soon made an important decision. Parents wanted to buy from their monks their only son. For some time, a luxurious ransom was prepared, with which they all went to the monastery. When the woman told the cloisters that she had changed her original decision, a huge stone suddenly fell from the arch of the monastery and flew straight to the head of her son.

But at that moment the Mother of God took pity on the boy and stood up for him in a wonderful way. The icon leaned slightly and took the strongest blow. And today you can see with an unaided eye from the back of the image a stuck stone in the icon. This incident impressed the boy very much, so he decided to go to the monks despite the mother's decision.

Of great interest is the fact that a monk with Russian roots, very respectful of religion and revered the holy places of Cyprus, questioned the veracity of this legend. He says that the stone resembles a rock that is simply adept at gluing to the icon. The natural fall of the stone is impossible. The monastery is too low for the stone to fall so deeply into the wooden frame. Perhaps, at first the stone was stuck, but then fell out, after which it was again artificially attached to the tree.

Despite all these doubts, it is confirmed by the facts that a sincere prayer, coming from a pure heart with this interesting stone, saves people from all sorts of diseases, especially the healing came at a toothache of the kids. Often parents bring sick children here. Particularly strong on the site of the shrine is the mother's prayer, which in miracle works in tandem with faith. Since ancient times, many have been honoring the tradition of baptizing the first-born in this miraculous monastery. The local population firmly believes that the Mother of God gives the strongest invisible protection to these children.

Belt of the Theotokos

Among the shrines in the temple is especially honored and the belt, which is mistakenly called the Belt of the Virgin. In fact, this is not so. In the nineteenth century, an elderly woman who could not have children prayed regularly before the miraculous icon. Once her prayers were heard. Having given birth to the child, the grateful woman gave the holy temple a belt that accompanied her throughout her pregnancy. Ever since time immemorial, an unusual ceremony has appeared, when a child's belt is used on childless women. A prerequisite for every woman is that she must be married, but not civil, but church.

Today, rituals are also organized to help childless women in the future to find the happiness of motherhood. There are over a hundred real cases when the infertile for medical indications couples were born healthy children, after they visited this shrine with sincere faith.

How to get to the monastery of Trooditissa? For tourists, the monastery is not always open. But believers and pilgrims can visit the holy monastery at any time.

Childless couples who want to obtain the mercy of the Virgin, without special obstacles, can get to where the Trooditissa (monastery) is located. How to get to the main shrine?

It is best to get by car on the road Limassol - Troodos. Along the way there will be a sign on which it is written: "Caledonia trail". After passing it, it is necessary to move further to the Troodos massif. After two kilometers of the road there will be a fork with the indication of the location of the monastery of Trooditissa. There it will be necessary to turn left. Next, you should drive along a narrow, picturesque road that crosses 1.5 km from the road leading to the monastery from the village of Platres. At the intersection point, turn right and continue driving until the exit to the monastery. On the road there are special signs, following which you can quickly reach the monastery.