The Trooditissa Monastery in Cyprus is located on the southern slopes of the Troödos Mountains and is an orthodox monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was founded in 990, but the current building dates back to 1731. It is built at an altitude of 1,500m (4566 feet) and the closest village is Plátres. The icon in the monastery is devoted to the Virgin Mary and it is claimed that it was painted by the Apostle Luke.
The Monastery, a secret mountain cave and a miraculous icon of the Virgin are Trooditissa’s are one of the reasons Orthodox pilgrims journey here in droves!
The history of the Monastery dates to the 8th century A.D. During the iconoclastic period the icon was brought to the island by a monk from Asia Minor who also brought a further 70 icons of the Virgin with him that were dedicated to the Evangelist Luke. After 25 years of service at the Monastery of St. Nicholas of the Cats (in Lemasol), the monk decided to move to the inner part of the island and he took the historic icon with him to the "Cave of Trooditissa" where he took refuge along with another monk for the rest of his life.
About 200 years later, or specifically in 990 AD, the cave was discovered by the Christians who were living on the island, and along with that the holy icon as well.
One story claims that it was found by a shepherd who lost his goat and while trying to locate it he witnessed a bright light coming out from the rocks high on the mountain. When he returned to the village and began to talk about his experience, everyone was amazed and so the villagers decided to inform the authorities at the Cypriot Church about it.
The Church suggested that an investigative delegation be set up. And thus a representative from the Orthodox Church was appointed to accompany a group of explorers up the mountain to find out what this light was all about. And when they arrived at the site, they discovered a secret cave with the icon of the Virgin Mary,
This is why the Church decided to construct a Monastery at this location.
Another story says that while the construction was going on an invisible force was preventing water to get to the workers who needed for their construction materials. Locals say that every time they attempted to carry the water up the mountain in clay pots, the pots would somehow fall and shatter in hundreds of pieces. After days of this strange phenonmenon, a clay pot which fell off the shoulders of one worker was discovered inside the western part of the cave. The workers could not explain how it got there, or how it managed not to break, but were even more dismayed when they saw that it was sitting on the bank of an unknown water spring that was in the cave. So they decided to use this water instead, and wouldn't you know it... they never dropped one pot! The construction was finally completed and then the icon of the Virgin Mary of Trooditissa which was found inside the cave was enthroned in the church, where it remains till the present day.
Another story says that years after the building was completed a Lebanese Minister by the name of John, decided to visit the Monstery with his wife. He was an Orthodox Christian from Beirut and as tradition states he kissed the icon and made a plea to the Virgin Mary to help him and his wife to have a child. He vowed that if they were blessed with a child, then they would bring their child to the Monastery and make him into a monk. A short while later, his wife gave birth to a baby boy who was baptized at the church of Trooditissa. When the boy came of age, he joined the ranks of the other monks at the Monastery.
Several years later though, his parents returned to the Monastery in order to bring him back home and this is where yet another miracle occurred. The monks at the Monastery advised the parents that backing out of their vow would only bring them suffering but parents will be parents and the couple insisted that they allow their son to come back to Lebanon with them.
As they debated whether he should be released or not, a sudden noise rumbled and a huge rock unglued itself from the wall of the church and began hurling its way towards the boy. And then suddenly a huge rock fell off the wall of the building and those present said that the miraculous icon of the Virgin moved from its position and it was seen sheltering the young boy from harm. In fact, the impact of the stone left a smaller piece in the icon which can still be viewed to the present day.
Obviously after this, the young boy decided to remain at the Monastery and later in life he became a monk and remained there until his death.
Whether there is any truth to any of these stories is not important, what is important is that this icon is a a priceless and historic treasure that till this day attracts the worship of many believers and the Monastery is a site that every traveler to Cyprus should visit.