Saint Kalandiona Church

Saint Kalandiona Church

Saint Kalandiona Church

A registered landmark for Pano Arodes is the church of Agios Kalandionos, the only one in Cyprus dedicated to this particular saint. It is a vaulted church built in the 18th century. Its interior is particularly beautiful and well-kept. It consists of a wood-carved iconostasis with images of Christ, the Virgin Mary and Orthodox saints, while it also bears hagiographies. South-east of the village is the sanctuary of the

Saint Leontios Macheiras mentions that Saint Kalandionas, Saint Agapius and Saint Varlam were among the three hundred Alaman saints of Cyprus, who during the Arab invasions were expelled from the great centers of monasticism which were Palestine and Syria. According to the chronograph, the three saints practiced asceticism in Pano Arodes, leaving their traces in the village.

Specifically, Saint Kalandionas was archbishop of Antioch. When he refused to sign the “unification” of the emperor Zeno, which provided for the reconciliation of the orthodox with the monophysites, he was banished by the emperor to a region of Egypt. At the end of the 5th century he came to Cyprus persecuted by the Saracens and took refuge in the community of Arodes, where he asceticized and spent the rest of his life. His memory is celebrated on April 26 and he is the patron saint of Arodes.

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