Church of Agiou Ermogeni

In Episkopi, a few steps from the shores of Kourion, stands one of the most remarkable sacred sites in Cyprus. The stone-built chapel of Agios Ermogenis is not large. It has no golden adornments. It has something rarer: the tomb of a martyr who came to us miraculously and remained here forever.

Agios Ermogenis was born in the 4th century in Phoinikous of Attaleia in Asia Minor. He became Bishop of Samos and preached Christ with a burning word. When he refused to renounce his faith before the pagan ruler Satorninos, he was led to a martyr’s death by beheading. Faithful Christians placed his holy relics in a chest and cast it into the sea. “Θαλάσσης τρικυμίας χαλινών” (“Taming the storms of the sea”), the waves carried it to the shores of Episkopi. There the people found it and built a church in his honour.

The original church was destroyed by raids. The present one was built in the 17th century on the same sacred ground. Within it rests the tomb of the Saint, a source of miraculous healings for all who come with faith and reverence. Every year on the 5th of October, the community of Episkopi gathers here to honour his memory. The Saint listens. He always has.

Key themes:

• Healing and spiritual comfort through the Saint’s intercession
• A place of martyrdom and unshakeable faith
• A living place of worship for the community of Episkopi

Feast Day: 5 October