Kykkos Monastery

Kykkos was founded around 1100 in the Troodos mountains of Cyprus, after the emperor Alexios Komnenos gave it an icon of the Theotokos that tradition attributes to St. Luke. The icon is so holy that it has been kept covered for centuries. Archbishop Makarios, the first president of Cyprus, began his life here as a monk, and the monastery is the wealthiest and most famous on the island.

• Date: 1100