The Monastery of Makheras

 The Monastery of Makheras, on the northern slopes of Mt. Kionia, was founded c. 1148 with the help of a grant from the Emperor Manuel Comnenus. It was burnt down in 1530 and 1892, and rebuilt in 1900. Colourful legends as to the origins of monasteries in Cyprus abound. Makheras, it is said, owes its name to makheri Greek for knife or sword in allusion to the sharp icy winds that blow down the valley or the sword that the hermits Ignatios and Prokopios found alongside the miracle-working icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary.