Roofs of the Troodos Painted Churches

The Troodos mountains of Cyprus contain a group of small Byzantine churches and monasteries whose wall paintings, from the 11th century onward, are among the finest of their period. They are listed together by UNESCO as the Painted Churches in the Troodos Region. Architecturally, they are known for an unusual roof form: steep-pitched timber roofs covered with flat hooked tiles, which in some churches form a second, outer roof over Byzantine masonry domes and vaults.

The roofs

The steep timber roof suits a mountain area where traditional houses also have pitched roofs to shed snow, unlike the flatter roofs of the Cypriot plains and coast. Where it covers masonry domes, the outer timber roof serves as a second skin over the vaults beneath. UNESCO notes that the churches' architecture was shaped by Cyprus's geography, history and climate.

The churches

UNESCO lists ten churches, nine in the Nicosia District and one in the Limassol District. They include:

• St Nicholas of the Roof (Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis), with 11th-century and Comnenian-era paintings;
• Panagia Phorbiotissa at Nikitari, with important 11th-century iconography;
• Panagia tou Arakou, painted around the time Cyprus passed to Guy de Lusignan;
• Ayia Sotira at Palaichori, with 16th-century paintings of the Cretan school.

Paintings from the 13th, 14th and late 15th centuries survive in several churches, and the start of Venetian rule in 1489 brought Italo-Byzantine influence.

Protection

The site received enhanced protection status under the Hague Convention's Second Protocol in November 2010. Keeping the timber roofs and tile coverings sound is part of protecting the painted interiors beneath them.