Overview
The mountain village of Platanistasa is the home of the Stavros Ayiasmati Church, one of the archaeological discoveries and remnants that testify how deep the roots of this village are.
With wall paintings dating back to the late 15th century, the church of Stavros Ayiasmati outside the village of Platanistasa in Troodos is one of Cyprus’ UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
It retains the most complete series of mural paintings from the second half of the 15th century on the island. It is said that the church’s name derives from the Greek word Ayiasma (Holy Water).
The Stavros Ayiasmati Church was once a monastery church, but only traces of the cells of the monastic buildings remain to the south of the church.
The surviving structure is a single-aisled building with a steep-pitched timber roof covered with flat tiles that extends beyond the main structure to form a portico on all four sides – a feature that is unique in Cyprus. According to an inscription, the building was built with the donation of a priest named Petros Peratis and his wife Pepani, who are both depicted on a fresco offering a model of the church to Jesus with the mediation of the Virgin. Also noteworthy is the extensive and multi-person Last Judgment scene, which unfolds up to the far end of the gable where Jesus Christ is depicted.
While the year of the church’s erection is not known, it is generally accepted that its decoration was completed in 1494.
