Ancient CyprusAncient Cyprus

Church · Ancient Monument

Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour (Ayia Sotira)

Palaichori, Nicosia District

Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour (Ayia Sotira): a church in Palaichori, Nicosia District. Protected by Order in Council in 1940. 3 dated records of work on it, 2002, with sources.

Nicosia District, about 34°56′ N, 33°07′ E

  • Site with its own page
  • Other recorded site
  • Contours every 200 m
The pin marks the village of Palaichori, not the building. Approximate location. Open in the map →

Protection

Antiquities Law
  1. 20 December 1939

    Proposed for declaration, No. 413, Second Schedule, Nicosia

    “The Church of Sotiros.”

    Supplement No. 3 to The Cyprus Gazette No. 2802 of 20 December 1939, No. 413, The Antiquities Law, 1935: Notice under section 6 (2) (proposed declaration), by the Director of Antiquities (made 20 December 1939), Second Schedule, Nicosia, pp. 725–727 Online

  2. 18 March 1940

    Order under the Antiquities Law, No. 104, Second Schedule, Nicosia item 40

    “The Church of Sotiros.”

    Supplement No. 3 to The Cyprus Gazette No. 2821 of 21 March 1940, No. 104, The Antiquities Law, 1935: Order in Council No. 1937 made under section 6 (1) (made 18 March 1940), Second Schedule, Nicosia item 40, pp. 238–240 Online

What was done when

3 records
  1. 2002

    Church; conservation and fresco restoration.

    Repair and conservation

    Sophoklis Hadjisavvas, «Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques à Chypre en 2002», Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 127 (2003), pp. 649-682, pp. 679-681

  2. 2002

    Church; conservation.

    Repair and conservation

    Sophoklis Hadjisavvas, «Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques à Chypre en 2002», Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 127 (2003), pp. 649-682, pp. 679-681

  3. 2002

    Church; fresco restoration.

    Repair and conservation

    Sophoklis Hadjisavvas, «Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques à Chypre en 2002», Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 127 (2003), pp. 649-682, pp. 679-681

In the literature

5
  1. 2001

    Ceremony held on its forecourt for the 30th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention; church inscribed on UNESCO list in December 2001.

    Sophoklis Hadjisavvas, «Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques à Chypre en 2002», Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 127 (2003), pp. 649-682, p. 649

  2. 2001

    Palehori church added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001, bringing Troodos churches to ten.

    As printed

    “In 2001, after the inclusion of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour in Palehori, the number of the Troodos churches included on the List increased to ten.”

    Loukia Loizou-Hadjigavriel; Pavlos Paraskevas, "The mission and work of the Cyprus National Commission for UNESCO", Cyprus Today vol. 54, no. 4 (October–December 2016), pp. 7–15, p. 8.

  3. Undated

    Built early 16th century and decorated in 2nd or 3rd decade; one of most accomplished post-Byzantine wall painting series.

    As printed

    “Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour, Palaichori – built at the beginning of the 16th century”

    Anon., "Cyprus World Heritage", Cyprus Today vol. 43, no. 2 (April –June 2005), pp. 42–47, p. 47.

  4. Undated

    Troodos church at Palaichori with monumental post-Byzantine paintings, dated c. second decade of the 16th century.

    As printed

    “Dated approximately to the second decade of the 16th century”

    Fryni Hadjichristophi, "World Heritage Sites in Cyprus", Cyprus Today vol. 41, no. 1 (January–April 2003), pp. 24–39, p. 36.

  5. Undated

    Wall-painting in the church, illustrated in the review; caption dates it c 1446.

    As printed

    “Wall-painting in the Church of the Saviour, Paleochorio; c 1446.”

    Anon., "New Books on Cyprus", Cyprus Today vol. 2, no. 5 (September–October 1964), p. 22.

Pictures

2
Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation2 films2007
  • Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (ΡΙΚ), film and video archive, Digital Herodotus item 4199: «TWELVE BYZANTINE CHURCHES OF CYPRUS ON THE LIST OF UNESCO CULTURAL INHERITANCE ΔΕΚΑ ΒΥΖΑΝΤΙΝΕΣ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΠΡΟΥ ΣΤΟΝ ΚΑΤΑΛΟΓΟ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΤΙΚΗΣ ΚΛΗΡΟΝΟΜΙΑΣ ΤΗΣ UNESCO», 21 June 2007, 00:47:12, 2007-06-21 Online
  • Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (ΡΙΚ), film and video archive, Digital Herodotus item 4196: «ΔΕΚΑ ΒΥΖΑΝΤΙΝΕΣ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΠΡΟΥ ΣΤΟΝ ΚΑΤΑΛΟΓΟ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΤΙΚΗΣ ΚΛΗΡΟΝΟΜΙΑΣ ΤΗΣ UNESCO TWELVE BYZANTINE CHURCHES OF CYPRUS ON THE LIST OF UNESCO CULTURAL INHERITANCE», 25 June 2007, 00:45:19, 2007-06-25 Online

Sources

  1. 1.Department of Antiquities, Cyprus, «Επισκέψιμα Αρχαία Μνημεία της Κύπρου» (Visitable Ancient Monuments of Cyprus), open dataset, first issued 8 February 2018, modified 16 January 2024, CC BY 4.0, row no. 9 Online
  2. 2.Supplement No. 3 to The Cyprus Gazette No. 2821 of 21 March 1940, No. 104, The Antiquities Law, 1935: Order in Council No. 1937 made under section 6 (1) (made 18 March 1940), Second Schedule, Nicosia item 40, pp. 238–240 Online
  3. 3.Supplement No. 3 to The Cyprus Gazette No. 2802 of 20 December 1939, No. 413, The Antiquities Law, 1935: Notice under section 6 (2) (proposed declaration), by the Director of Antiquities (made 20 December 1939), Second Schedule, Nicosia, pp. 725–727 Online
  4. 4.Sophoklis Hadjisavvas, «Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques à Chypre en 2002», Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 127 (2003), pp. 649-682, p. 649
  5. 5.Sophoklis Hadjisavvas, «Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques à Chypre en 2002», Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 127 (2003), pp. 649-682, pp. 679-681
  6. 6.Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (ΡΙΚ), film and video archive, Digital Herodotus item 4196: «ΔΕΚΑ ΒΥΖΑΝΤΙΝΕΣ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΠΡΟΥ ΣΤΟΝ ΚΑΤΑΛΟΓΟ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΤΙΚΗΣ ΚΛΗΡΟΝΟΜΙΑΣ ΤΗΣ UNESCO TWELVE BYZANTINE CHURCHES OF CYPRUS ON THE LIST OF UNESCO CULTURAL INHERITANCE», 25 June 2007, 00:45:19 Online
  7. 7.Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (ΡΙΚ), film and video archive, Digital Herodotus item 4199: «TWELVE BYZANTINE CHURCHES OF CYPRUS ON THE LIST OF UNESCO CULTURAL INHERITANCE ΔΕΚΑ ΒΥΖΑΝΤΙΝΕΣ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΠΡΟΥ ΣΤΟΝ ΚΑΤΑΛΟΓΟ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΤΙΚΗΣ ΚΛΗΡΟΝΟΜΙΑΣ ΤΗΣ UNESCO», 21 June 2007, 00:47:12 Online
  8. 8.Anon., "New Books on Cyprus", Cyprus Today vol. 2, no. 5 (September–October 1964), p. 22.
  9. 9.Fryni Hadjichristophi, "World Heritage Sites in Cyprus", Cyprus Today vol. 41, no. 1 (January–April 2003), pp. 24–39, p. 36.
  10. 10.Anon., "Cyprus World Heritage", Cyprus Today vol. 43, no. 2 (April –June 2005), pp. 42–47, p. 47.
  11. 11.Loukia Loizou-Hadjigavriel; Pavlos Paraskevas, "The mission and work of the Cyprus National Commission for UNESCO", Cyprus Today vol. 54, no. 4 (October–December 2016), pp. 7–15, p. 8.

Corrections and additions

Do you know this monument?

Help us keep this page right: repairs and restorations we have missed, the monument as it is now, and old photographs.

Missing from this record

  • Date of building not recorded

We would like to hear about

  • Restorations, repairs or excavations, with the year
  • A wrong name, place or date
  • Access and the monument's state today
  • Old photographs we may use
Write to us

or alexis@ancientcyprus.com

Tell us if you would like to be thanked by name on the page.