Monastery of Saint John Lampadistes — Attraction in Kalopanagiotis

We have just returned to our hotel in Larnaca, after a day visiting the churches in the Troodos area. The last one was Agios Ioannis Lampadistis.

We arrived at the door at 13:35. It was closed. A note put on the door, in English and Cypriot, said that they closed at 1:30 p.m. and reopened at 2 p.m. until 4 p.m.

We went to have a small lunch at the Vyzantino restaurant. Slow service, though cheap. Slow because we have been waiting for one dish almost 40 minutes.

We went back to the church and saw a young couple leaving the building. We climbed the stairs and saw a bearded priest inside a car. He made signs saying us that the church was closed.

We looked at the clock, it was 15:10. We approached the car and told him that it was not yet 4 pm, the hour of closing according to the official timetable. We said that we had been there before, when they have just closed for lunch. He told us that the people who take care of the church have just left it and that he did not have the keys, because he was also a visitor.

A visitor who was leaving the monument after the last visit and after the church guards? Hard to believe. If he lied, it was very bad because he was a priest and if he did not lie, then it was also bad for the organization of the monument, because they do not follow their own schedule or timetable for the Visits.

I know that we are not the only tourists that suffer such behaviour. Today, we met 2 more couples on the same frustrating situation.

The place has a complicated access, winding roads and narrow passages on a raining day. Those who arrived there do deserve more respect.

I have counted till one hundred before wrtitting this email, but my frustration and little anger did not dissappear with my silence.

I hope this will help other turists to have better luck than we had, when visiting Agios Ioannis...

A favorite destination for every visit to Cyprus Troodos Mountains.

The monastery is centuries old, built high in the rocks, with a wonderful old world atmosphere, a grape mill and an olive mill for the monks to produce wine and olive oil.

There is an amazing Orthodox icon museum on the site with treasures brought back from abroad to Cyprus over the past 50 years.

The monastery shop sells books, icons, prayer beads and local produce like Sweet Preserves, Carob Honey to help support the continuous restoration and operation of...

This visit I would recommend to have it done with skilled guided tour, is Truly impressive to visit a monastery with a such wast history where being built three churches under one roof since 11-th century, second is 12-th century and third 15-th century, next to monastery you will be able to visit a museum of icons in one place from one village with total number of 13 churches who donate their oldest icons to museum dated 11-th century, museum entrance is €2 euro per...