Close to one of the largest and oldest Fig trees near Kyrenia harbour is located Orthodox Church of the Archangel Michael – the snow-white building, built in 1860. Earlier in her place was a tower which was part of the fortified city wall. Later the Church was built and a tall bell tower, and the money to buy a big bell for her allocated one Turkish merchant, who was friendly with the then rector of the Church.

After the civil war in Cyprus, when the Northern part were closed some Orthodox churches, the Church of the Archangel Michael began to take stored in them before this icon. Although many valuable specimens were secretly exported from the island and sold on the black market. So, in very rough terms, dozens of murals and more than 20 thousand icons have been illegally sold into private collections. Fortunately, some of them, such as the fresco of the last judgment, the authorities of the island was returned.

But still most of the values and objects of art was saved, and eventually in 1990 at the Cathedral of Archangel Michael created the Museum with one of the richest collections of icons in all of Cyprus. Some of them were written in the early eighteenth century, but most date from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. So, there is the icon of St. Luke and the famous icon of the beheading of John the forerunner (the Baptist). In addition, you can also see some rare editions of the Bible.

This beautiful collection will help you learn more about the history and art of Cyprus, to plunge into wonderful atmosphere of past eras.