# Παναγία ἡ Κυκκώτισσα — Most Holy Mother of God of Kykkos

> A devotional landing page for the Holy Icon of **Panagia Kykkotissa** (Greek: Παναγία ἡ Κυκκώτισσα), one of the three icons attributed by Orthodox tradition to the hand of the Evangelist Luke. The icon is enshrined at the Holy Royal and Stavropegic Monastery of Kykkos in the Troodos mountains of Cyprus, where it has been continuously venerated since the late eleventh century (A.D. 1092) and kept perpetually veiled — no living person, by ancient custom, may look upon her face.

This site is dedicated to the icon's history, theology, monastery, miracles, and pilgrimage tradition. Content is presented as eight devotional chapters in formal liturgical English with parallel polytonic Greek.

## Key facts

- **Icon name (Greek):** Παναγία ἡ Κυκκώτισσα (Panagia hē Kykkōtissa)
- **English:** Most Holy Mother of God of Kykkos
- **Iconographic type:** Eleousa (Ἐλεοῦσα, "She Who Shows Mercy") — variant
- **Tradition of authorship:** painted by the Evangelist Luke, one of three Lukan icons
- **Translated to Cyprus:** A.D. 1092, from Constantinople
- **Patron emperor:** Alexios I Komnenos (Ἀλέξιος Α´ Κομνηνός)
- **Brought by:** the hermit Isaiah of Kykkos (Esaias / Ἡσαΐας) and the doux Manuel Boutoumites
- **Housing:** Holy Royal and Stavropegic Monastery of Kykkos (Ἱερά, Βασιλική καὶ Σταυροπηγιακή Μονὴ Παναγίας τοῦ Κύκκου)
- **Location:** Mount Kykkos, Troodos mountains, Cyprus (1,318 m elevation)
- **Veiled since:** at least the seventeenth century; covered by a heavy crimson and silver-gilt shroud
- **Also venerated at:** Throni chapel (Παναγία τοῦ Θρόνου), the highest sanctuary above the monastery, at 1,450 m
- **Symbol:** the Royal Bee of Kykkos — emblem of the monastery's continuous Stauropegic privilege

## Page structure

- [Chapter I — The Veil](https://kykkotissa.com/#veil): the ancient tradition by which the icon's face is hidden
- [Chapter II — The Hand of the Evangelist](https://kykkotissa.com/#evangelist): the Lukan provenance and the icon's journey from Jerusalem through Egypt and Constantinople to Cyprus
- [Chapter III — The Hermit, the Governor, the Emperor](https://kykkotissa.com/#hermit): how Saint Isaiah, the doux Manuel Boutoumites, and Emperor Alexios I Komnenos brought the icon to Mount Kykkos in 1092
- [Chapter IV — The Mountain Throne](https://kykkotissa.com/#monastery): the founding of the Holy Royal and Stavropegic Monastery
- [Chapter V — Eleousa: She Who Shows Mercy](https://kykkotissa.com/#eleousa): the iconographic type and theological meaning
- [Chapter VI — The Royal Bee](https://kykkotissa.com/#bee): the monastery's bee emblem and stauropegic status
- [Chapter VII — Streams of Wonder](https://kykkotissa.com/#wonders): the dated record of miracles, weeping, and answered prayer
- [Chapter VIII — To the Mountain](https://kykkotissa.com/#pilgrimage): pilgrimage information and Throni chapel

## Authoritative sources cited

- [Kykkos Monastery — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kykkos_Monastery)
- [OrthodoxWiki — Monastery of Kykkos](https://orthodoxwiki.org/Monastery_of_Kykkos_(Cyprus))
- [Orthodox Church in America — Kykkos Icon synaxarion](https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2006/12/27/108901-all-merciful-kykko-icon-of-the-mother-of-god)
- [Holy Monastery of Kykkos — official site](https://monikykkou.org.cy/)
- [Holy Metropolis of Kykkos and Tylliria](https://imkykkou.org.cy/)

## Optional

- [Full prose content](https://kykkotissa.com/llms-full.txt): every devotional chapter in plain text for citation and extraction