If you adventure yourself out of your comfort zone, you will certainly find places you would never expect. Even in a small island like Cyprus!
In the outskirts of Nicosia, driving south west, you will end up in the village of Episkopeio.
Among the ordinary views of houses, rooftop water tanks and some trees, your eyes will be captured by five golden domes, just next to a witchcraft-like building. As you get closer, you will start wondering if you have been teleported somewhere in Russia.
This magic compound contains three important places: a Romanian church, a Russian church and, a bit further, the Cyprus Planetarium.
The garden is huge and can host 800 people. There is a playground, a stage for events, a café, a souvenir shop, and several food stands.
The entire area is well taken care of and extremely clean.
The Byzantine museum is also part of the compound.
The Romanian Church
Following the almost black church, you can access a picturesque garden with green grass, trees and flowers.
Am I still in Cyprus? Maybe not!
The church, dedicated to Ayia Kyriaki Megalomartyra and Ayio Ioanni Hozeviti, is entirely made of wood.
Interesting fact, it was built in Romania in the typical Maramuresan style, dismantled, shipped to Cyprus and reassembled here 12 years ago.
There are two small houses next to the church, made with 200 years old Romanian wood, taken from houses of Maramure region.
The inside of the church is small and makes you feel the spirituality of the place. Every detail is crafted with great attention.
The Russian Church
The Russian church was built next to the Romanian one in 2017 and is on the name of Apostolos Andreas.
The Golden domes come directly from Saint Petersburg, and are made of titanium nitride.
The inside of the church is extremely colorful and is a pleasurable experience for the eyes. The frescos, present in every wall, represent many passages from the bible, as well as of the arrival of the Christian religion in Russia.
Outside, around the church, there are 4 mosaics that represent biblical stories.
The Cyprus Planetarium
Inside the same compound you can find the Cyprus Planetarium, which totally deserves a visit.
They offer Virtual Reality experiences and games, a dome with 180 seats, telescope and helioscope observations, several events and educational activities.
I particularly recommend watching a movie in the dome, to fully immerse yourself into space.
The planetarium is the biggest in the eastern Mediterranean and receives the scientific support of the Interstellar Institute.
It opened in June 2023 and has a calendar full of events, you can check it here.
Are you now ready for your next visit to Episkopeio?
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