Panagia Apsinthiotissa Monastery

Panagia Apsinthiotissa Monastery

The Panagia Apsinthiotissa Monastery is situated on the southern foothills of the Pentadaktylos Mountains, near the village of Sichari/Kaynakkoy (GPS identification: X: 35.283905, Y: 33.389065). The site comprises of a Byzantine Church and a Refectory, as well as more recent single-storey monastic rooms that were built after the 17th century. The masonry is composed of irregularly sized undressed sedimentary stones and is characterized by the absence of clearly defined horizontal bedding orientations. Fired clay bricks were used for the construction of arches, piers and pendentives.

The main properties of the Monastery's building stone are summarized below:

• Apparent Density (EN 1936): 1950-2815 kg/m³
• Open Porosity (EN 1936): 3-26%
• Compressive Strength (EN 1926): 23.0-49.5 MPa

The aforementioned tests for the characterization of the monument's stone were carried out in 2018, in the framework of a combined laboratory and in situ investigation that was conducted to determine the physico-mechanical and mineralogical characteristics of the building materials of the Panagia Apsinthiotissa Monastery. Sampling and testing was assigned to the Building Materials and LEDRA Laboratories of the University of Cyprus by the United Nations Development Programme – Partnership for the Future, which is funded by the European Union.

University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs & The Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ΕΤΕΚ)

https://www.sci-cult.com/peace-building-in-cyprus-through-the-preservation-of-endangered-heritage-in-situ-and-laboratory-characterization-of-materials-from-the-panagia-apsinthiotissa-monastery/

University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs & The Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ΕΤΕΚ)

University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs

University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs

Photos taken by Ioannis Ioannou, University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs