In one of the most beautiful villages of the mountain area of Limassol, called Koilani, the chapel dedicated to Agia Mavra (Mavri) and her husband Agios Timotheos is found. If you are travelling to or are at Pera-Pedi, cover a further distance of 2 kilometres to Koilani (100 metres before the bridge of the river “Kryos” and the restaurants, follow the left exit towards Koilani) and you will find yourselves in a location that is fantastic and beautiful.
Huge Platanus trees (the platanus of Agia Mavra is 1200 years old, it has a height of 35 metres and a base perimeter of 8 metres) on the shores of the river Kryos “cover” the small chapel and the two traditional restaurants that are there for years now in the area. The platanus trees, the small chapel, the morphology of the area and even more the history of the area in combination with the deafening noise made by the waters as they “run” into the riverbed, complete an image that only if you are there will you be able to capture.
The chapel itself is built on the west shore of the river, on the point where a miracle happened to Saint Mavra and her husband Timotheos and they were saved from their persecutors.
In order for us to understand what exactly happened in this location we have to go many centuries back into time. Back to when Agia Mavra was still a young lady. She lived in Koilani. Her parents were poor people and they wanted to marry her. However, the Saint loved Timotheos and did not want to get married to anyone but him.
She waited until the day before her wedding and seeing that her parents did not plan to change their minds, she made took the plunge. She rushed into the flames of the oven lit with wood. But nothing happened to the Saint. Only her face got a slight shade of black. She got out of the oven and run to Timotheos and they the both ran into the thick forest. The village’s authorities gathered its settlers and with any weapons each of them possessed, they started chasing after the couple in love. They found them just a little out of the frontiers of the village, on the valley of the Kryos river, and they persecuted them.
Being chased after, they two young people realised they got to a dead end while running in the forest. From the east side, the great river with its rapids, from the south were their persecutors and from the other directions they had high, inaccessible slopes.
The Saint, seeing their lives coming to an end, being desperate started hitting the hard rock that cut their way to salvation with her hands. That is exactly when the miracle happened. The rock split into two and their way out was right in front of them.
They both slipped into the rock, and right behind them a great flood was formed at the point where it split. A source with rushing waters prevented the persecutors of the young couple to follow them.
Agia Mavra and Timotheos continued their journey through the rock and under the mountain until they reached Pera Pedi. There again a miracle happened and the rock opened up and they two young people got out of it safe and sound. At the exit, and Angel of the Lord awaited for them, and then helped them to arise to the world of the Saints.
After many years, at the point where the source wells out, a small chapel was built, in order to remind us all today and the generations to come of the miracle.
The source is still there today and gives water. If you find yourselves at the south entrance of the chapel, you will hear the water running under the ground very loudly. If you enter the Church you will see the trapdoor which, upon opening it, you shall see the water. This water exits from the east of the Church from a marble tap. The tap was named “Holy water of Agia Mavri” and they say it performs miracles.
The chapel no matter how small it is, is impressive. Its west side is built in such a way that the visitor thinks that it is the continuation of the huge rock, on which steps were carved to guide to the icon of the Saint. From many points of the rock you can see water running, which joins with the river water.
It is a place that has a lot to offer to all of its visitors.
