The belfry and gargoyles of the Petrou Kai Pavlou Church in Cyprus

In Asgata, Cyprus, is the church of the Apostles Peter and Paul – the Petrou Kai Pavlou Church. The church was built in 1865 and is in the centre of the village.

The church is a sandstone single-aisled basilica. The gargoyles on the eaves include a ‘dinosaur’ head, a man stretching his mouth open, and a dog. The gargoyles hide the water spouts to drain water from the roof - gargoyles mean 'gullet' or 'throat.' Many medieval cathedrals have them.

It has a tall belfry with three arches and bells.

In the yard is the monument and bust of the village Hero, Georgios Ch. Katsari, who was killed in Pachyammos in Tylliria on 8 August 1964.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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