International Pharos Chamber Music Festival

Acknowledged all over the world as Cyprus’ most important annual classical music event, the International Pharos Chamber Music Festival is also recognised as one of Europe’s preeminent music festivals, having gained an unequalled reputation for the quality of its concerts as well as its enchanting atmosphere and settings. Inaugurated 18 years ago, the Pharos Festival was the first festival of chamber music to have been established in Cyprus and it has so far attracted numerous of the world’s finest and most celebrated musicians, while it has garnered thousands of enthusiastic music lovers from all over the world, who visit the island especially to be part of this exceptionally uplifting music experience.

Contributing to its magic is the Festival’s unique setting, the surrounding of the magnificent ancient town of Palaipaphos. All The majority of the concerts take place at the Gothic Hall of The Royal Manor House at Kouklia, one of the finest surviving monuments of Frankish architecture on the island and an unparalleled venue for intimate chamber music performances. The building also houses an archaeological museum, which records the rich history of human activity in the region from about 2800 BC to the present day. The Royal Manor House, which is part of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation’s “Aphrodite’s Cultural Route”, is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Palaipaphos, or Old Paphos, was a city-kingdom of Cyprus and one of the most celebrated pilgrimage centres of the ancient Greek world. It was the site of a famous sanctuary of Aphrodite, the oldest remains of which date back to the 12th century BC. Join us in a leisurely exploration of the history and cultural heritage of the western region of Cyprus.