Panagidia Galaktotrofousa Monastery

Exterior view of the Panagidia Galaktotrofousa Monastery

The Panagidia Galaktotrofousa Monastery (Greek: Ιερά Μονή Παναγια Γαλακτοτροφουσα) is a small Cypriot Orthodox monastery in the Greek part of the island of Cyprus . The monastery is located near the village of Kofinou (6.1 km) and is in the southern part of the Larnaka district . In the immediate vicinity of the monastery has the Greek-Cypriot satellite and communications company Hellas-Sat domiciled with their Space Center (about 500 meters) and is the route the North-South highway A1: Lefkosia - Lemesos .

In 2012 there were still three monks living in the monastery, of which the oldest monk was 82 years old and the other 78 and 40 years old. The actual monastery area actually consists only of the bedrooms, the monastery church, the courtyard and some rooms that are set up as exhibition rooms. One of these rooms provides information about the history of the monastery, in another room there is a mummy with the remains of the founder of this monastery in a display cabinet . The monks live from donations and from the sale of their own olive oil production .

history

Before the Cyprus War in 1974, a Muslim, Turkish-Cypriot majority lived in the vicinity of the monastery and in the town of Kofinou located there. After most of the Greeks in Northern Cyprus were expelled , most of the Turkish Cypriots in the Larnaka district also had to leave their homes. During the Turkish invasion and occupation in the Cyprus conflict , almost all monks were shot. A newspaper article about these events is presented in an exhibition room on the history of the monastery.