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| Bellapais Abbey and Monastory : |
| Bellapais Abbey, about a 20 minute drive from the villa was founded by Augustinian monks, who came to Cyprus from Jerusalem, 1198. The Lusignan King Hugh III built much of what can be seen today between 1267 and 1284. The courtyard pavilions and magnificent Gothic refectory were added by his successor King Hugh IV and they were not completed until 1359. The Monastery rose to prominence after a wealthy knight, Roger the Norman, left them a gift of an important religious relic, widely believed to be a fragment of the True Cross. Pilgrims flocked to the Bellapais Monastery to see the relic and spend some time in retreat. However, when the Genoese invaded in 1373, the monastery’s treasury was plundered and the precious relic stolen and thus began the decline of Bellapais Abbey into what we see today. Bellapais is well worth a visit as it has the bonus of wonderful views and gardens. |
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