Agia Solomoni Catacombs are located in Kato Paphos and are one of the main holy pre-Christian sites on the island. According to the legend, in 166 BC Saint Solomoni and her seven sons fled Palestine and came to these caves seeking refuge from the brutality of a Syrian pagan ruler. Solomoni believed in the coming of the Savior and refused to make sacrifices to pagan gods. The enraged ruler had sought out the family and executed the seven children in front of their mother, who subsequently died of emotional hardship.
The catacombs are a series of caves connected to each other through a small inside courtyard. Several cross-shaped catacombs that were used as homes have survived. The largest cave was turned into a church and was later (in the middle ages) decorated with frescoes. These frescoes include images of the Virgin and Child, Church Fathers and others.
There is a belief that if you leave a personal item on the terebinth tree that grows at the entrance into the catacombs, you will be cured of all your ailments. There is also an underground sacred spring.
