ONE OF THE MOST UNUSUAL CHURCHES IN THE WORLD
DEDICATED TO THE FORTY MARTYRS OF SEBASTE
Located approximately 4 km from Protaras, in the district of Famagusta, the small chapel of Ayioi Saranta dominates the local landscape. Unlike most other churches on the island, this chapel is etched into an elevated rock face inside a small cave, creating a place unlike any other on the island. Ayioi Saranta in Greek means ‘forty saints’ and the chapel is aptly dedicated to forty Christian soldiers who fought against Emperor Licinius in the year 320. Refusing to surrender their faith and their hopeless position in Sebaste, present-day Turkey, they were later martyred. Forty stalactites in the church’s ceiling symbolise each of the forty martyrs.
A PROFOUND SENSE OF PEACE
The chapel is simple in design and consists of a single dome and a single stone, white washed wall, crowned by a white cross. Its interior is very simple, and a few icons flank the modest altar of the church. The interior uses natural sunlight, and this, along with the glow of burning candles, helps to exude a profound sense of peace and serenity that creates an ambience of quiet reflection. The church also offers visitors a stunning panoramic view of the coast of Paralimni and Cape Greco.
