On September 14, Cyprus celebrates the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord. Local residents always go to church for prayers, and a festive church service is held in Stavrovouni Monastery, which is attended by priests of the highest degrees.
The great religious holiday of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord is celebrated by Cypriots on 14 September. On this day, they go to church to pray for loved ones. Traditional festive services are held in the churches, and representatives of the supreme clergy and pilgrims come to the Stavrovouni Monastery. Women are not allowed to enter there, so they go to the Church of All Saints or go to the workshop of the famous Greek Cypriot icon painter, monk Kallinikos.
On other days, the monks of Stavrovouni or, translated into Russian, the Exaltation of the Cross Monastery lead a more than ascetic lifestyle according to the Athonite charter. They prepare for the festive services on September 14 in advance: they decorate the church and the territory with flowers and welcome eminent guests all day, while at other times visits are strictly limited by the hour. It is in Stavrovuni that a piece of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord is located, which was brought to the island by Queen Helena in the 4th century and is the main relic of this place.
According to legend, Helen, the mother of the Byzantine emperor Constantine, was carrying the Jerusalem cross on her ship, on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Due to the onset of the storm, the ship had to dock on the nearest land area, which turned out to be Cyprus. The sparsely populated island at that time suffered from constant drought, but for the Queen and her survivors, it was salvation.
Exhausted and tired Elena took a nap under the shade of one of the trees. In a dream, a young man appeared to her, ordering to build a temple on the island in the name of the Cross of the Lord. A particle of it, missing the day before, was found on one of the local mountains. On it, the Tsarina founded a monastery, which received the name of the Exaltation of the Cross or, in Greek, Stavrovuni. It seems as if it is floating in the air. located on a sheer cliff. This is a very beautiful and unforgettable sight that attracts tourists from all over the world.
According to legend, after the events described, grace descended on Cyprus: the rains began, the enriched soil began to yield crops. The emperor's mother ordered the Syrians, Arabians and Antiochians to populate the island. This is how the new history of Cyprus began, where more than a million people now live, and Elena was elevated to the status of a saint.
