The Church of St. Mamas is located in the small village of Louvaras, which is situated 15-20 km from Limassol. It is one of those Troodos churches that are called a "church under a roof." It really does have a gabled roof covered with tiles. Its shape could be called rectangular, if not for the two semicircular niches at the ends of the building.
Inside, it seems even smaller than it does from the outside - just a few meters in length and width. But the walls are completely covered with frescoes. Their author is the famous Cypriot painter Philip Goul. In this little church, one can count 85 of his works. They are arranged here in several rows. The most famous are considered to be the icons "The Raising of Lazarus," "The Expulsion of Demons," and "The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem."
Here you can also see an image of St. Mamas himself. He is a young man holding a lamb in his arms, riding a lion. He is considered the patron saint of animals and... of all those who hide from taxes. The reason is one of the legends, which tells how St. Mamas managed to avoid punishment for non-payment of tax.
The colors of the frescoes are so vivid that it is hard to believe they were painted in 1494. Most of them have been preserved in excellent condition, but unfortunately the eyes of some faces have been erased.
They say this was the work of a Turkish soldier who, in 1571, during the conquest of Cyprus by the Ottoman invaders, desecrated the icons in this way. But this act did not go unpunished - later he himself went blind and died.
