It’s a fair hike out to this sprawling monastery perched in the foothills of the eastern spur of the Troödos Mountains and under the all-seeing radar installation on Mt Kionia (1423m) to the south. The Maheras Monastery was founded in a similar way to the Kykkos Monastery. In 1148 a hermit named Neophytos found an icon guarded by a sword (maheras means knife or sword in Greek) in a cave near the site of the present monastery.
The monastery developed around the icon and flourished over time. Nothing remains of the original structures; the current building dates from around 1900. The monastery has become a popular outing for Cypriots, who possibly come as much for the cooler climate as for spiritual enlightenment. There is a small cafeteria in the grounds and pilgrims may stay overnight.
The monastery is open for visits by groups of parishioners only at certain times. Ask locally or at the CTO in Nicosia about how you might join one of these groups, which will mostly consist of Cypriot pilgrims. Visits should be conducted with reverence and solemnity. Maheras Monastery is best approached via Klirou and Fikardou, since the alternate route via Pera and the E902, while very pretty, is winding and very slow.
