In the village of Koraku, which is located in the Solea Valley, there is a church dedicated to the Apostle Luke. It is located in the eastern part of the village at the highest point of the green valley formed by the Klarios River.
The church was built in 1697 - this is indicated by the inscription on the stone tablet above the northern entrance. Perhaps this stone inscription was located inside the temple and was taken outside quite recently. The temple was built from local stone, in shape it is a single-nave basilica, ending with a pointed arch inside, and outside with a gable peaked wooden and tiled roof.
The church has three entrances: in the northern, western and southern walls. The western and northern ones are decorated with limestone bricks, turning into an arch. The southern entrance was made later. It is rectangular and is topped by a wooden beam. The eastern wall forms a semicircle from the outside, inside of which there is an altar. The roof of the altar apse also bears traces of alteration, because the ancient one was 75 cm higher. The gable roof and wooden sheds on the sides were also built recently. At a distance of 5 meters from the western entrance there is a wooden bell tower with one bell.
The inner wall is covered with plaster and whitewashed, and raw Troodo stone was used for its construction. The altar is separated by a simple wooden iconostasis with two rows of icons. In front of the altar there is a soleia one step high.
The church is always open and receives many visitors every day.
Photo: ix-andromeda.com
This article was first published in the Cyprus Herald on February 22, 2022. Some information may be out of date.
