Iera Nisos (Holy Island), or as it has been paraphrased to “Geronisos”, is found a few hundred metres away from the shores of the gulf of Agios Georgios in Pegeia, Paphos. It is a small island that played a great role in the navigation of the east Mediterranean in the ancient years.
The years that followed the fall of Troy from the Achaeans were years of disaster for them, since most of them were not accepted back to their town kingdoms, resulting to them looking for new Fatherlands.
A great number of them reached the shores of Cyprus, thus building new town kingdoms. Along with them, apart from the civilisation and arts, they brought their Gods. Upon their effort to propitiate God Apollo, who during the ten year war in Troy, was an ally and the protector of the Trojans, they built a beautiful Altar on the peak of Iera Nisos and dedicated it to him. They thus participated in transforming Iera Nisos to a place of pilgrimage, as well as a lighthouse for sailsmen that crossed the Mediterranean, going to and from the seas of Asia Minor.
They built a port on the existing gulf, on the peak of a hill that dominates the sea and their town. The Altar, the port and the polis (city), gained a lot since every boat stopped by to get supplies but also to worship the God with the most properties. Thousands of worshippers arrived to the Altar of Apollo, among whom many were boys that participated in ceremonies in the honour of their favourite God.
Opposite Iera Nisos, between the port and the city, in the slopes of the hill is where they chose to create their necropolis and they dug into the rocks.
All of this lasted until the new Religion arrived on the island. The Altar was destroyed and a paleochristian church was built in its place, that was later on abandoned and destroyed. The city changed its character and three Christian Basilicas were built in it, ruins of which were found after some excavations.
At a small distance from them, during the 13th century, a small single aisled Church dedicated to Agios Georgios was built. Recently, among the single aisled Church and the ruins of the three Basilicas, a new church with Byzantine style was built and it had a cruciform shape with a dome, also dedicated to Agios Georgios.
Today Iera Nisos is a tourist destination and this can be done with the help of small ferries. In addition, owners of small yachts visit Iera Nisos either for fishing, either to isolate themselves from the crowds that visit the area. Permanent residents of it are the seagulls and other sea birds.
