The church of Timios Stavros tou Agiasmati is situated in the eastern part of the Troodos mountain range, in the area of Pitsilia, about five kilometres northeast of the village of Platanistasa. In 1985 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List which includes nine other painted Byzantine churches of the Troodos range.
This church used to be the katholicon (monastery church) of a monastery bearing the same name, built towards the end of the 15th century. According to researchers, the name 'Agiasmati' derives from the word 'Agiasma' (-atos) (sanctified water, spring or well near a church). Another interpretation is that the name is related to Agiasmati in western Asia Minor, a place related to the capture of Constantinople in 1453. It might be the case that refugees from the above area took shelter in Cyprus and later founded a monastery with the same name in the mountains of Cyprus, in commemoration of their homeland. (Source)
Bibliography:
Stylianou A., Stylianou J. A. 1997. The painted churches of Cyprus: Treasures of Byzantine art. London.
