Memorabilia of the Church of St George

Fragments of roof tiles and stones from the holy-water fountain (*agiasma*) of the Church of St George of the Hill in Alaya (1873). The materials were collected prior to the church’s renovation works and constitute authentic surviving elements of the city’s most important place of worship.
St George was the patron saint of Alaya. According to local tradition, at the spot where the Saint vanquished the dragon beneath the Red Tower, his horse made three hoofprints as it moved towards the Castle—the Greek quarter. At the third print, where it halted, the church was built. At each hoofprint, holy water was said to have sprung forth, and around these springs the people of Alaya constructed three fountains: two within the Castle and one behind the church. In the churchyard, on a rock, the raised imprint of the Saint’s horse’s horseshoe is still visible.