The second place we visited on the tour to the Troodos Mountains in Cyprus was the grave of their Founding Father, Makarios III.
It is located 1,200 metres above sea level and we had to walk up the slope behind this huge statue.
On the way, we saw mosaics of saints.
The grave itself was protected by two policemen.
Makarios was born in a poor family in a small village not far from here.
When he was a small child, he used to walk to Kykkos Monastery just a few meters down from this point.
When his mother died, he became a monk in this monastery at the age of 13 and after that, he studied hard and climbed all the way up to become an archbishop.
When Cyprus became independent from the UK in 1960, he was set up as President.
He died at the age of 64 in 1977 while Cyprus was not a stable country, having conflicts with people who wanted to be a part of the Greek and Turkish invasion.
[ Mar.2015 ]
