Micro Churches of Cyprus Series
Well the UK have the hugely popular 'Church Micro Series'...so why not have our own Micro Church series! There are plenty of lovely, random, neglected, well-kept, tiny and even not so tiny roadside churches dotted around our lovely island, so I thought why not have a series to celebrate them!
Agios Raphael - Pachyammos Cemetery
This little chapel and graveyard is the cemetery for the nearby Agios Raphael Church which is located a short distance away in the village of Pachyammos. This cemetery and chapel was built in 1991, and contains beautiful frescoes that adorn the walls and ceiling and should not be missed! Overlooking the sea, it appears such a peaceful spot, but this area was the subject of brutal war during 1964, and again in later troubles through to 1974. Indeed, you will see the Turkish Army border just behind you, where the town of Kokkina Exclave/Erenkoy lies surrounded completely by Turkish Army troops. There is also a remnant of the previous wars still to be seen in the lookout point also situated just to the side of the chapel here looking out to sea.
The Agois Raphael Church
In 1987, local man Mr. Neophytos Socratous was suffering with ongoing prostrate pain which would not be relived despited many operations. One day a lady gave him a book on the miracles performed by Agios Raphael, and so he decided to pray to the Saint for a miracle. That night, he slept well, and was visited in his sleep by a tall doctor who told him he would perform an operation on him that would cure his ailments. The doctor performed this operation with the assistance of a nurse who turned out to be Agia Irene.
When the man was cured, he noted the date of his operation down as 10th Feb 1987. He wrote to the Monastery of Agios Rapahel in Mytilene in which he mentioned the miracle, and the Church was built in the 1990s. Many flock to the church to ask for a miracle to be performed to cure them of their medical ailments. Crutches can often be seen left outide abandoned by those who have been cured.
It is well worth a visit inside the church to see the frescos which adorn the walls and ceiling, depicting brutal images of the recent wars, and biblical violence. They are unusually violent in nature. Agios Raphael Saint's day is celebrated two days after Easter.
The Cache:
The cache is a medium sized container with room for swaps, trackables and the log book. Please replace as found to help it survive the elements! You do not need to cross any borders to get to this cache, and you can access the cache easily with any vehicle.