The village of Peristerona is located 34 km west of Nicosia, in the Mesaoria Valley area. It is famous for its Byzantine temple dedicated to Saints Barnabas and Hilarion.
The church stands on the western bank of the Peristerona River, a tributary of the Serrajis River. Together with the Church of St. Paraskeva in Geroskipou, this temple is a unique example of a Byzantine five-domed basilica. The construction dates back to the 11th-12th centuries. It was probably built on the site of an older temple, as evidenced by the finds of 1959: a semicircular synthron in the apse and the base of the altar partition. Part of the northern wall of the ancient temple was built into the western wall of the existing church. Three domes of the temple are located above the central nave, two more are located on the annexed limits. The bell tower of the church was built in the 19th century. The surviving examples of frescoes date back to the 15th-16th centuries. In the area, plaster parts of the iconostasis from the Middle Byzantine era are on display for inspection.
Photo: ix-andromeda.com
Mosque
A little south of the Church of Saints Hilarion and Barnabas in the village of Peristerona there is a mosque. Today it is abandoned. The mosque is in the center of the village and its very tall minaret with two balconies can be seen from anywhere in Peristerona.
Photo: ix-andromeda.com
This article was first published in the Cyprus Herald on February 28, 2022. Some information may be out of date.
