September 14, Cyprus celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Locals must go to church for prayers, and a festive church service is held in the monastery of Stavrovuni, which is attended by clergymen of higher degrees.
The Cypriots celebrate the great religious festival of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 14th. On this day, they go to church to pray for loved ones. Traditional festive services are held in temples, and representatives of the supreme clergy and pilgrims come to the Stavrovuni Monastery. Women are not allowed in there, so they go to the Church of All Saints or go to the workshop of the famous Greek Cypriot icon painter, the monk Kallinikos.
On other days, the monks of Stavrovuni or, in Russian, the Holy Cross Monastery lead a more than ascetic lifestyle according to the Athos 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 to hours. It is in Stavrovuni that there is a piece of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord, which was brought to the island by Queen Elizabeth in the 4th century and is the main relic of this place.
According to legend, Elena, the mother of Byzantine Emperor Constantine, carried the Jerusalem cross on her ship, on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Due to the storm, the ship had to dock to the nearest land, which turned out to be Cyprus. The sparsely populated island at that time suffered from constant drought, but for the Queen and her surviving people, he was a salvation.
Exhausted and tired Elena lay under the shadow of one of the trees. In a dream, a young man appeared to her, commanding him to build a temple on the island in the name of the Cross of the Lord. A particle of it, missing the previous day, was found on one of the local mountains. On it, the Tsarina laid the foundation of a monastery, called the Holy Cross Exaltation, or, in Greek, Stavrovuni. It seems to be floating in the air, as located on a steep rock. 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: it began to rain, the enriched soil began to yield crops. The emperor’s mother ordered the island to be settled by Syrians, Arabians and Antiochs. Thus began a new history of Cyprus, where more than a million people now live, and Elena was elevated to the status of a saint.
