Up in the hills above my home in Cyprus is a beautiful little monastery called Stavros Tis Minthis which dates back to the 12th century. 

Inhabited by a single monk, the stone built monastery is an excellent example of architecture from the Byzantine era. The chapel got its name when invaders forcibly took the monastery and set it alight but one of the monks had the foresight to take the sacred cross and hide it under some mint bushes in the immediate vicinity thereby ensuring its safety.

In the aftermath of the fight, the cross was found and the renaming of the remainder of the monastery and chapel was therefore under the name “Stavros Tis Minthis” which means “Cross of Mint”.

The day I passed by, no-one was around and sadly the church doors were locked. The monastery is now within the Minthis Hills development and golf club and the surrounds are idyllic. A small haven of tranquility.

Olive trees in line….

Into the sanctuary….

Closters at the monastery…

Beautiful stonework….

A lovely door…

An entrance to where….

Through the arch…

Linking with Thursday Doors, pop over and see some more doors today….