Ayia Marina , Mosphiloti

Monk/shepherd near Ayia Varvara

'Eratosthenes says that the island was, at first, so overgrown with trees, that there was no room for culture; but the inhabitants, at last, cleared the ground and cultivated it; and their labour was richly rewarded, for the island from a wilderness became one of the most fertile and delightful countries upon earth.'

The monks of St. Barbara's monastery are hard-working people. They cultivate the fields belonging to the monastery, tend their herds of goats, make cheese, produce honey and paint icons.

Journey to the Island of Cyprus (1720)