Historical background information  

The church of Panagia is the main church of the village and it is known as Panagia Evagelistria (Virgin Mary of the Annunciation) or Chrysolysiotissa and it was officially designated as an Ancient Monument. The Panagia church stands as an exceptional illustration of Cypriot Neo-Gothic, an architectural style with limited number of examples, which exhibits similarities with earlier religious architectural styles, the Gothic and the Frankish-Byzantine.  

Lysi experienced significant prosperity, forming an affluent and rapidly advancing community towards the end of the Ottoman period. The initial modest church of Prophet Elias's monastery swiftly proved inadequate to accommodate the needs of the growing population. Consequently, it was decided to demolish the existing church and construct a larger parish church. The construction of the new church begun in 1880, however, the completion of the construction is documented in various sources with varying dates. 

The architectural design of the church, a three-nave domed basilica with provisions for two bell towers in the west, following the architectural style of Cypriot Neo-Gothic, was prepared by the well-known master builder of the project, Iacovos Pavlou, known as ‘mastre-Yakoumis’. According to the plan, the discovered borehole with the holy spring would be situated in the centre of the new church. The installation of roof tiles, which were not part of the original design as it was following the Gothic standards, can be attributed to the period between 1895 and 1900.  A photograph of Panagia church from the 1900s shows the church completed, even though some decorative parts, the floor tiles and the belltower were missing. 

The church iconostasis was constructed and installed in 1909 and the belltower construction finalized in 1920. The initial consecration of the church transpired in 1909, followed by a second consecration in 1918. Finally, in 1948, the construction of the women's gallery commenced.

Main interventions for this site include:

• Cleaning of surfaces and organic growth control  
• Removal of incompatible and harmful to the structure elements and materials
• Stone works  
• Grouting, repointing and consolidation of masonry  
• Tiled roof repairs  
• Replastering, repainting and waterproofing  
• Water drainage works  
• Internal floor maintenance  
• Timber elements conservation  
• Conservation of enclosures  
• Conservation of bells
• Graffiti removal  
• Marble tombstone conservation  
• Yard pavement and fencing  
• Area formatting  

Find more photos of this site here.

The project is funded by the European Union and implemented by United Nations Development Programme in partnership with the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage. 

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