Places near me Random place
All Cyprus Alassa The Church of St Nicholas

The Church of St Nicholas

These ruins disappear beneath the waves every winter.

Alassa, Cyprus

Added By
Laurel J
Old church ruins.   lmjansury (Atlas Obscura User)
Old Saint Nicholas Church   lmjansury (Atlas Obscura User)
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

This Place Is a Stub

Help improve this place with additional information or photos.

Make an Edit

About

Kouris Dam was built in the 1980's flooding the local village of Alassa including the Church of Saint Nicholas.

Today, the only hint of the village that remains are the ruins of the church. During the summer, the ruins are completely visible but when the rain comes during the winter, the reservoir fills and only the church tower is visible. 

There are also rumors of sightings of the "Loch Ness of Cyprus" in the reservoir, but its existence has never been proven.

Related Tags

History & Culture Churches Ruins

Community Contributors

Added By

lmjansury

Published

January 5, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos

Nearby Places

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Cyprus

Cyprus

Europe

Places 33
Stories 2

Related Places

  • Ruins of the church in Dvorine from above.

    Banja, Serbia

    Dvorine

    The remains of a luxurious 14th-century church built by the last despot of Serbia.

  • Birkenhead Priory

    Birkenhead, England

    Birkenhead Priory

    The oldest standing building on Merseyside is special for its rich history as a Benedictine monastery and its unique connection to the origins of the Mersey Ferry.

  • Church of St. Sophia in Nessebar

    Nessebar, Bulgaria

    Hagia Sophia Church

    This fifth-century church is one of the oldest Christian sites in the Balkans.

  • The remains of Lennel Kirk.

    Lennel, Scotland

    Lennel Kirk

    This Norman church survived the Reformation before suffering 300 years of neglect.

  • DOMUnder

    Utrecht, Netherlands

    DOMunder Subterranean Ruins

    Underground attraction offering tours of the foundational ruins of a church nave that collapsed in 1674.

  • Looking out to sea where pilgrims would have landed.

    Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

    Chapel Finian

    Named after a 6th-century saint, who was also a scholar.

  •

    Leiden, Netherlands

    Vrouwekerk

    Only a few walls remain of the last church the Pilgrims used before they sailed to North America.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

See Fewer Ads

Become an Atlas Obscura member and experience far fewer ads

Become a Member