Archangelos Michael Church

Situated in the middle of the village, Archangel Michael is a single-aisle shrinkage crisscross church with a dome. According to its morphological elements and the frescoes of Archangel Gabriel on the north arch which is supporting the dome, the church is dated way back in the 12th century. In the west there is a semi circle arch that was later was extended to build the split (narthex) and the vaulted propylon. All the church additions are dated in the Frankish period because as it can be also seen on the inauguration stone on the north wall the church was used as a Catholic church. In 1873 a new entrance was opened on the north wall along with new openings on the propylon. The walls were built of curved sandy stone (porolithos) filled up with lime mud. The dome and the roof are without tiles and both sides are finished with lime mud (kurasanit). The whole masonry is very nice and it is believed that the church was built by stone builders’ specialists. The new church of Archangel Michael was built in 1969 with the capacity of accommodating between 200 and 250 believers. Furthermore, in the new church of Archangel Michael, there is an icon dedicated to the Virgin Mary of Saydanaya, Byzantine in art, which dates from the 14th century. This icon is known in Cyprus as "Panagia (Virgin Mary) of Hunting". The existence of this icon in Cyprus indicates that the Virgin Mary of Saydanaya in Syria was once famous on the island, which means that in the past many Cypriot pilgrims would have had traveled to the well known not only to Christians but also Muslims Monastery of the Virgin Mary of Saydanaya in Syria. At the bottom end of this huge icon in Frenaros, three persons are depicted who are the donors and they probably ordered the icon after some miracle was made to them by the Virgin Mary of Saydanay during a pilgrimage to the monastery in Syria.