The church, one of the most important Byzantine monuments on Naxos, is situated in an idyllic rural landscape a few kilometres north of the village of Apeiranthos and dates from the period of Iconomachy (8th century). Stone built, it is of the type of single-aisle basilica with dome and semi-cylindrical apse. It had suffered serious damage, as part of the vault and the north wall of the narthex had collapsed, the walls of the sanctuary were riddled with holes and the floor had been removed and destroyed in several places, probably by antiquities looters. Local shepherds used the church as an animal pen. In the 1990s, efforts to salvage Saint Kyriaki commenced, with the securing of funding for the preparation of the necessary studies. The Thanassis and Marina Martinos family has played an essential role in the restoration of the monument.
In several parts of the nave and the intrados of the openings in the median wall between the nave and the side-chapel (parekklesion) the wall-paintings with aniconic decoration of the period of Iconomachy are now visible. Crosses, rosettes, helical guilloches, flowers, depictions of birds, imitation marble dado and a variety of colours (yellow, orange, ochre, black, purple) make up an aesthetically sophisticated Byzantine mural ensemble. The restoration was carried out by the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades, in collaboration with the following agencies: Non-profit Civil Company AEGEAS, Hellenic Society for Environment and Culture, A. G. Leventis Foundation, Swiss ‘Association Hagia Kyriaki, Naxos’ and the J. F. Costopoulos Foundation. The project was awarded the Grand Prix, the paramount distinction of the European Union for cultural heritage / Europa Nostra Prize, in October 2018.
