The small church of St. Nicholas "on the roof" is in the Troodos mountains just a few kilometers to the southeast of the village of Kakopetria.

This church, which was built in the XI century, is the only KATHOLIKON - the main monastery church - Byzantine period (even if the term is not used), a well-preserved to this day. Like most Orthodox churches of the time, it had a small structure in terms of the shape of the cross and was crowned with the traditional dome. The narthex and a wooden roof, which can be seen now, there were only a few centuries. It is this sloping roof of the temple and received his rather strange "nickname." Nave was also built at once, but only in the beginning of the XII century.

Church of St. Nicholas "under the roof" has gained international fame thanks to his mural, which was created for a long time - from the XI to XVII century, although most of the murals appeared in the XIV century. Therefore, the whole church is a kind of museum of fine arts of the Byzantine and post-Byzantine period.

The frescoes, which covered all the walls and ceilings of the church depict scenes from the life of Jesus, his crucifixion and resurrection, and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, figures of saints and archangels, the resurrection of Lazarus. It is worth to highlight the composition depicting the forty holy martyrs, and the figure of St. Nicholas, after whom the church was consecrated. And the most "fresh" frescoes depict the apostles Peter and Paul, and date back to 1633 year.

In 1985 the church was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. At the moment, it is open to tourists and pilgrims, but recently banned in photography and filming.