The Monastery of Panagia of Machairas or otherwise machairas monastery or even Machairas is a androa monastery belonging to the Church of Cyprus. It is from 5 Stavropegic Temples of the Church of Cyprus and the abbot is Bishop Ledra. In the monastery there is the famous image of the Virgin Machairiotissa.
H Holy, Royal and Monastery of Panagia of Machairas, located at the eastern end of the Troodos Mountains near Kionia peak (1423 m), 870 meters above sea level. It is built in a beautiful, wooded hillside of pine trees, leading to the torrent Pedieos. Called basilica because it was built with royal help, and stavropegic, it became self-governed church, which is symbolized by the cross positioning of the foundations. The monastery is dedicated to Virgin Mary and celebrates the Virgin Mary on 21 November.
Fathers Ignatios and another elder monk Procopius decided to erect a monastery, which would act in accordance with the communal model followed by the great monastic centers of the time. For this reason, they went to Constantinople, where they met the Emperor Manuel Comnenus (1143-1180) and explained their desire. The filochristos emperor not only granted them the necessary money, but also donated to the new monastery the term in which it is erected together with the surrounding area, gave to this Stavropigio and privilege to be the only free and tax free from both the public and from individuals. These privileges vested and later by the emperors Isaac and Alexios dynasty of Angels. Saint Ignatius written provision left successor of St. Nile which is the first abbot enthroned the commune. St. Nilus in 1201 wrote formal provisions, namely rules regulating the monastic life and smooth operation of the commune, which survived until today and from which derived all information on the foundation of the monastery. Elected bishop Tamasos in 1209 leaving a successor and new abbot Joachim, and most likely became archbishop of Cyprus between the years 1215-1221. As bishop Tamasos has endorsed the order which he wrote as an abbot and founded a convent dedicated to the Virgin, which he called Blachernitissa. The memory of the founders of the monastery Machairas Neophytou Ignatius Prokopios Nile celebrated on December 13.
After the independence of our island, the monastery had a hard time, economic and spiritual. When he took the abbot Archimandrite Paul, later Metropolitan of Kyrenia, laid the foundation for the spiritual elevation of the monastery in short duration period in which igoumenefse. The succession to the abbot of Mount Athos monk Athanasios (1993) marked the modern history of the monastery and has been an important station. The new abbot renovated entirely monastery building and spiritually, turning it into a commune in the traditional monastic patterns of ancient communes, which survived through the centuries on Mount Athos. Erected new temples and chapels, new areas for hospitality created for ministries, the sacristy etc. After the election of Fr. Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol in 1999, he succeeded him as abbot Archimandrite Arsenios, who continued the work of his predecessor. But he found unexpected death together with the Patriarch of Alexandria Petros also brainchild of the monastery, when the helicopter they were riding syntrivike sea on September 11, 2004.
Today the fraternity has 27 monks abbot His Grace Bishop Ledra Mr. Epiphanius. Fathers of the Abbey a few years ago settled in the Monastery of Timios Prodromos in Mesa Potamos and the Monastery of Christ Adviser near Episkopi village and then restored epanaleitourgontas as the communes.
