Off the beaten track in Cyprus, away from the tourist areas, out in the beautiful countryside, you often find small shrines on the road-side. Small religious icons inside, behind little glass windows with candles and melted wax from the years of lighting… Hints of religion playing an essential part in village life. Shot in the foothills of the Troodos mountains near Omodos a couple of days ago….
Shrine with a view…….
Roadside religion…..
Window in the wall for icons…..
And the beautiful view…over the foothills of Troodos……
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We came across some of these icons in the Greek Islands also.
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Yes, there are lots of random iconographs in remote places..it makes you wonder why those places were chosen..I know road accidents throw up shrines, but some you see , in wilder areas that are more religiously inclined… it’s fascinating and traditional…Thanks Joan for commenting…
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Lots of these shrines here in Greece too. They are fascinating.
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Indeed fascinating. I have heard of similar shrines along paths in the Alps. Nice glimpses of life and country.
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Fascinating. Having been raised in the protestant view, which eschewed most iconic images of God and the saints, despite the presence of a few ubiquitous pieces in nearly every church and home, I am always intrigued by shrines. I expect they bring comfort to the traveler, but I’d love to see a bit into the heart of those who build and tend them.
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Thanks, Kathryn, yes, Orthodox Christianity is fairly ornate compared to the Protestant view.Growing up as C of E, I find Orthodoxy quite fascinating having spent a goodly number of years hovering around it from a marriage into it , indeed my children are christened into the Orthodox church… actually, those occasions are probably worth a memoirs post!
The small road-side shrines were often constructed in memory of the loss of life (car accidents possibly) but years ago. It’s the older folks who maintain the traditions, which is possibly why they are neglected maintenance wise. In my village, early Sunday morning, there was always a passage past my house of the older church going ladies, you don’t really see that so much nowadays…
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Sweet images, Vicky, except for the reason for the shrines. We see a lot of plastic-flower bedecked crosses along our roadways, always a hit to the heart, knowing what they represent. But the thought of those women trotting down the path on Sunday–lovely.
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I absolutely loved Cyprus, all of it 🙂 beautiful and not too touristic still.
The most off the beaten track part though is the Turkish side as really nobody really goes there given its seclusion and limited recognition.
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