The ancient church of Saint Kyrikos and Ioulitis is a sight to see in Letymbou. The church which is in the southeast edge of the community, dates to the 12th century but many renovations occurred later on and especially during the 15th century. It’s a church made of stone built with Byzantine style with a dome. It has two entrances, one on the north wall and one on the west.
What stands out, from the inside of the church, is the wall paintings dating back to the 12th century while some of them are newer than that. Most of the wall painting though, were irreversibly destroyed when the where covered with plaster back in the 1919 during a renovation. The template with the religious images (iconostasis) is made from marble, and some of the religious images date back to the 20th century.
Saint Iouliti and Kyrikos were mother and son. They came from Iconio of Asia Minor and lived through the period of reign of Dioklitianos (3th century). When they denied denouncing Christ, they were tormented and killed. Their memory is celebrated in 15th of July. They are the protectors and healers of children.
Worth mentioning is that Letymbou had the same name during the Francs occupation of Cyprus, and the Greek naming of the village suggests that it existed since the Byzantine era. The naming derived from the word Tymbos (Tomb) while the French word “Le” was added during the Francs era.
