The Church of Elijah the Prophet is located to the north of the main resort area of Protaras. It is the main historical attraction of the resort. The church is built on top of a rocky mountain that rises 115 meters above the ground.
The first wooden church of Elijah the Prophet in Protaras was built in the 16th century, but in 1785 it was destroyed by fire. After that, a new church in the traditional Byzantine style was built of stone. It has also not survived to this day, and a new church was built in 1985. The Church of Elijah the Prophet is small, but on the top of the cliff it looks very picturesque.
Elijah the Prophet is one of the most revered prophets of the Old Testament. He lived in Israel and became famous for many miracles when he fought against the Gentiles who worshipped the god Baal. When he was pursued by the priests of Baal, he hid in the caves of Mount Carmel. The Prophet Elijah is revered not only by Christians, but also by Jews and Muslims.
The Bible says that Elijah was lifted up alive to heaven for his special righteousness: "Suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared, and they separated them both, and Elijah was carried up into heaven in a whirlwind." The place where Elijah ascended in a chariot to heaven is located in Bethany on the other side (Jordan). At the same place, John the Baptist later baptized Jesus Christ. The Bible says that before Elijah, only Enoch, who lived before the flood, was taken to heaven alive.
In the Orthodox tradition, the Prophet Elijah was called the lord of thunder and rain. When a thunderstorm began, lightning flashed and thunder thundered people said that it was Elijah the Prophet riding through the sky on his chariot of fire. Elijah`s Day is celebrated on August 2. In ancient times, it was one of the biggest folk holidays. Among the Slavs, Ilya the Prophet is one of the most revered saints, along with Nicholas the Wonderworker.
At the foot of the cliff is the Garden of St. Elijah. It has a church altar under a canopy, where weddings are held. A steep staircase leads up from the garden to the cliff. Tourists are asked to count the number of steps when climbing and descending. There are 170 steps in total, but it often happens that the number of steps during the descent and ascent is different. This means that a person has sins. If the number of steps is the same, then person has no sins, but this is not for sure.
At the top of the cliff, as well as along the slope of the stairs, there are trees. Their trunks and branches are hung with ribbons. Traditionally, these ribbons are left by people who ask Elijah the Prophet for something.
