History of the Monastery

The century in which the monastery church was built is not exactly known. The monastery, is thought to date originally from the 7th century. Nearby sites have been occupied since antiquity, with artifacts dating back up to 4,000 years being uncovered. The Monastery is just outside the village of Monagri, 20km north of the coastal resort town of Limassol, in the Kouris River valley. This area has been occupied since the earliest days of human existence in Cyprus. The Monastery was destroyed in 1735, and rebuilt in the mid 18th century, with later additions.

One part of the original building is still to be seen in the north wall. The only entrance to the inside room lies in the middle of the western wall. Above it is a fresco showing the Archangel Michael. To the right of this, is a portrait of Bishop Makarios of Kition (1737-1776), who had the church restored in the years 1740/44. According to the inscription to the left of the door, both frescoes are by Philaretos who also painted Agios Minas in Vavla. In addition to the portraits of the bishop and Archangel, he enriched the Monastery with a scene depicting God the Father with the angels in the clouds. The Holy Ghost descends from the clouds and touches Christ’s head with the Crown of Thorns. The Messiah here holds His hands crossed in front of His body. Philaretos painted the Archangel Michael once again in 1746 near the iconostasis on the north wall. The figures of Paul, Vachianos and St. Paraskevi are probably also by him.

A second painter, Savas Nikolaou, was involved in decorating the church. The figures of St. Lazarus, Basil, Christopher, Anthony, an unknown bishop and an unknown ascetic are by him. To judge by the feeling for colour and style of painting, he is the less important of the two artists. His relatively large inscription under the icon of the Archangel Michael of the iconostasis (on which the majority of icons are by him) allows one to assume that, in addition to his painting, he was a talented script writer.

The Monastery was also a centre of education during the 19th century. Here the former Bishop of Kition, Meletios III (1846-1864) and his Deacon HiIlarion lived and taught the few pupils from the nearby villages.

The Elder of the Monastery, Archimandrite Gennadios,

In 2008, following a request from the current Metropolitan of Limassol, Athanasios, who aimed to renovate and revive the Monagri Monastery, the Holy Synod approved the reopening of the monastery as a male monastic community. Today, the monastery belongs to the Holy Metropolis of Limassol and operates once again as a monastery, with Archimandrite Gennadios serving as its abbot.