Faneromeni Church, Nicosia

The Faneromeni Church has a long history. It was originally built in 1222 as part of a monastery for women. When the Ottomans conquered the island in 1570, they attempted to turn the church into a mosque. However, legends tell that several imams died trying to establish a mosque here, and the Ottomans abandoned their efforts.

The church was destroyed during an earthquake in 1715 and rebuilt. The rebuilt church was named after an icon of the Virgin that was found in the rubble. The current church's appearance dates to 1872 and features Byzantine, Latin, and neoclassical styles. Faneromeni Church is the largest church inside the city's walls.

The three-tiered iconostasis dates to 1659 and features 61 icons. The Virgin Faneromeni icon is a copy of the original ancient icon. The original icon originated between the 12th and 14th centuries and is now housed at the Byzantine Museum but returns to Faneromeni once a year.

The church features a bishop's throne that artist Papadopulos carved. Taliozoros carved the high pulpit. Artist Diamantis created the evangelist images on the pulpit. The impressive large silver-framed cross contains a piece from the True Cross.

The Marble Mausoleum was built to memorialize four clerks who were executed in 1821 during the Greek War of Independence.