Machairas Monastery 2012

© 2012 Holy Royal and Stavropegic Monastery of Machairas
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The Holy, Royal and Stavropegic Monastery of Machairas, is located on the island of Cyprus, near the top of Kionia.
During the Iconoclasm, an ascetic brought to Cyprus from Constantinople the icon of the Virgin Mary of Mount Athos. This icon is considered one of the 70 icons of the Virgin Mary painted by the apostle Luke and at that time was located above the Hagia Soros, that is, the Holy Estheta and the Holy Zone of the Virgin Mary, in the church of the Virgin Mary in Vlachernes. Because the icon was discovered after a miracle of the Virgin Mary with a knife, it was renamed Machairiotissa.
Builders: Saints Neophytos, Ignatius, Procopius and Nile (first abbot and bishop of Tamassos)
The monastery was built with the help of the emperor Manuel Komnenos (1143-1180) and the privilege of Stavropegic was later secured by the emperors Isaac and Alexios of the Angelic dynasty.
During the Frankish occupation (in 1231) the Monastery offered to the Church two holy martyrs, Saints Gerasimos and Gennadios who, along with eleven other monks of the Monastery of Panagia Kantara were killed by the Latin conquerors, defending the holy faith of the Orthodox Church.
During the Turkish occupation, the Monastery of Macheira promoted the national martyr Archbishop Kyprianos, a birth but at the same time a boast of the Monastery. His refusal both to leave Cyprus and to convert in order to be saved, and his martyrdom by the Turks on July 9, 1821, were a living example to the Christians and strengthened them.
During the British occupation, the monastery was associated with the liberation struggle due to the deputy leader of EOKA, Grigoris Afxentiou, who often found shelter in its premises. However, after a betrayal, he was located in his hideout, which is close to the monastery. After a long battle, after the British lost all hope of capturing him alive, they covered the hideout with gasoline and burned him alive on March 3, 1957.
In 1993, Abbot Athanasios (now Metropolitan of Limassol) renovated the Monastery spiritually and building.
Fathers of the Monastery a few years ago settled in the Holy Monastery of Timios Prodromos in Mesa Potamos and in the Holy Monastery of the Symvoulos Christ near the village of Episkopi in Limassol.
Several fathers who have risen to the episcopal office have passed through the Holy Monastery. Specifically, in today's Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus, Kitiou Chrysostomos, Limassol Athanasios, Neapolis Porphyrios, Amathous Nikolaos and Ledras Epifanios (now Abbot Machaira) are spiritual children of the Monastery.