In the mountains of the Troodos massif, on the border of two villages - Platres and Prodromos - there is an amazing monastery, which is called one of the most beautiful in Cyprus. This shrine has long been famous for the miracles that take place in it.
Monastery name
The extended name of the shrine is the Monastery of Our Lady of Trooditissa. The name of the Mother of God in this case comes from the geographical name of the mountain, which means “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 form familiar today.
Creation of spiritual retreats in Cyprus
Most of the spiritual cloisters of Cyprus were founded as a kind of shelter for the icons, which were famous for their miraculous abilities. The period of the emergence of monasteries dates back to the time of iconoclasm and hostility to religious relics. In the 8th century, many of the religious shrines were secretly taken to Byzantium, where ancient customs were more revered. In a similar way aroseMachairas and the temple of Our Lady of Arakos. A similar story happened with the appearance of the Trooditissa monastery in Cyprus.
History before Trooditissa Monastery
According to ancient legend, one of the Byzantine monks brought the icon of the same name to Cyprus. Arriving on the island, the priest settled in the oldest monastery of St. Nicholas, which is located near Limassol. Later, the Blessed Virgin herself showed him the way to the Troodos mountains, appearing in the form of a deity. Following 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 monk's haven until the end of his days. 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 a temple should be built on the site of an unusual phenomenon. Today it is Trooditissa Monastery (Cyprus). Here's how it came to life.
The history of the construction of the monastery
A shepherd from the deserted village of Afames saw every night the magical glow of the Mother of God. In order to satisfy his curiosity, he went to look for a clue that lurked in the cave. The shepherd brought the shining icon to his village. The locals 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 collected in a nearby river were broken at night. Thanks to these signs, people realized that this is the wrong place.to build a monastery. One day, at the place where the monastery stands today, a jug of water miraculously appeared. The inhabitants of the village took this sign for the sign of the Mother of God. After some time, a life-giving spring began to flow from the place where the vessel was found. The monastery of Trooditissa has such an amazing history. Since the construction of the monastery, Troodos has been visited by a huge number of pilgrims.
Historical facts
It's no secret that the holy place appeared a long time ago, but there are practically no mentions of it before the beginning of the 18th century. Only a few names of abbots have survived to our times, as well as facts about the burning of the temple by the Turks. The miraculous icon was miraculously saved. Thanks to the description of the monastery by Grigorovich-Barsky, a detailed portrait of the shrine has remained in history. According to him, it was "not a very large and impoverished monastery, which is located in a beautiful picturesque area." Nearby were three inexhaustible sources of clean water. In the summer, it was truly a piece of paradise in which the birds sang.
Shrines
Trooditissa Monastery is famous for such relics as the icon of Our Lady of Trooditissa and her belt. It should be noted that in modern times this miraculous belt was brought to many monasteries and churches in Russian cities. Thanks to these shrines, many infertile couples who believe in miracles can have children. The main component of the fulfillment of desiresis sincerity and faith. In order to achieve success in the desired, it is necessary to perform a certain holy rite. A belt is put on a woman who wants to have children and divine prayers for the birth of a child and his he alth begin to be read. This miraculous ritual is free. There is an opinion that it is he who always helps even in hopeless and neglected cases. Trooditissa (monastery) is famous for such miracles. Reviews of numerous pilgrims also confirm this. Some people gave birth to he althy children after long years of infertility, while others brought their sick children here, and they immediately recovered.
Icon of Our Lady of Trooditissa
According to the legend, which has been passed down for centuries from generation to generation, the image of the Mother of God of the same name was created by one of the apostles. His name is Luke. More than 600 icons are considered to be the creations of the evangelist. At the same time, various temples and churches disagree on the authenticity of these icons. In the 17th century, this most holy icon was restored and almost completely rewritten. Solomon Fites, a well-known legendary icon painter, became its author this time. Today, the life-giving image is in the bottom row of the most beautiful iconostasis of the monastery, on the left side of the royal gates.
Legend of the holy icon
An interesting legend is inextricably linked with the most miraculous icon of Trooditissa. A then unknown man named John arrived in the Troodos highlands with his wife. The purpose of their visit to these lands was the opportunity to pray in the localmonastery about giving children. This couple swore before the Lord that in the event of the birth of a boy, he would be given to one of the monasteries, where he would become a monk. Sincere prayer, which came from the heart, was heard. Soon the woman found out that she was pregnant, and her joy knew no bounds. The couple had a son, whom they soon baptized in the same church.
Time flew by, already elderly parents did not want to be separated from their only beloved son. They soon made an important decision. The parents wanted to ransom their only son from the monks. For some time, a sumptuous ransom was prepared, with which they all went to the monastery together. When the woman told the monks of the monastery that she had changed her original decision, a huge stone suddenly fell from the arch of the monastery and flew straight into her son's head.
But at that moment the Mother of God herself took pity on the boy and interceded for him in a miraculous way. The icon leaned slightly and took the strongest blow. And today you can see with the naked eye from the back of the image a stuck stone in the icon. This incident impressed the boy very much, thanks to which he decided to become a monk, despite the decision of his mother.
It is of great interest that a monk with Russian roots, who was very respectful of religion and revered the holy places of Cyprus, questioned the veracity of this legend. He says that the stone resembles rock, which is simply skillfully glued to the icon. The natural fall of the stone is not possible. The monastery is too low for a stone to fall so deepimmersed in a wooden frame. Perhaps at first the stone got stuck, but then fell out, after which it was artificially attached to the tree again.
Despite all these doubts, it is confirmed by the facts that a sincere prayer coming from a pure heart at this interesting stone saves people from all kinds of diseases, healing came especially quickly with a toothache in babies. Parents often bring sick children here. Maternal prayer is especially strong at the site of the shrine, which, in tandem with faith, works wonders. Since ancient times, many have honored the tradition of baptizing the first-born in this miraculous monastery. The local population firmly believes that the Mother of God gives these children the strongest invisible protection.
Sash of the Virgin
Among the shrines in the temple, a belt is especially honored, which is mistakenly called the belt of the Virgin. Actually it is not. In the 19th century, an elderly woman who could not have children regularly prayed before the miraculous icon. One day her prayers were answered. Having given birth to a child, the grateful woman presented the holy temple with a belt that accompanied her throughout her pregnancy. Since those times immemorial, an unusual rite has appeared when a belt is tried on childless women. A prerequisite for every woman is that she must be married, but not civil, but church.
Today, rituals are also held that help childless women to further find the happiness of motherhood. There are over a hundred real cases when medically infertile couples were bornhe althy children after visiting this shrine with sincere faith.
How to get to Trooditissa Monastery? The monastery is not always open for tourists. But believers and pilgrims can visit the holy monastery at any time.
Childless couples who wish to gain the mercy of the Virgin, without any special obstacles can get to where Trooditissa (monastery) is located. How to get to the main shrine?
The best way to get there is by car on the Limassol - Troodos highway. There will be a sign along the way that says "Caledonia trail". After passing it, you need to move on to the Troodos massif. After two kilometers, there will be a fork with a pointer to the location of the Trooditissa monastery. There you will need to turn left. Next, you should drive along a narrow scenic road, which after 1.5 km will intersect with the road leading to the monastery from the village of Platres. At the intersection, turn right and continue until the exit to the monastery. There are special signs along the highway, following which you can quickly get to the monastery.
