The opening hours of the ten painted churches in Troodos have been extended, the culture deputy ministry announced on Wednesday.

All ten churches will now be open six days a week. During the summer, between April 16 and September 15 every year, the churches will be open from Tuesday to Saturday between 10am and 1pm and between 2pm and 5.30pm, and on Sundays between 11am and 4.30pm.

During the winter, between September 16 and April 15 every year, the churches will be open from Tuesday to Saturday between 10am and 4.30pm, and on Sundays between 11am and 4.30pm.

The churches remain open on most public holidays, but will be closed on Christmas, Easter, during Holy week, and on August 15.

The culture deputy ministry said it “warmly thanks” mountain commissioner Charalambos Christofinas and the various organs of the church involved in extending the churches’ opening hours “for their valuable assistance in implementing this new measure”.

The churches are included on the United Nations educational, scientific, and cultural organisation (Unesco)’s world heritage list, with Unesco describing them as “one of the largest groups of churches and monasteries of the former Byzantine Empire”.

It said the churches are “all richly decorated with murals” and that they provide “an overview of Byzantine and post-Byzantine painting in Cyprus”.

“The structures display elements that were specific to Cyprus and were determined by its geography, history, and climate, including steep-pitched wooden roofs with flat hooked tiles, in some cases providing a second roof over Byzantine masonry domes and vaulted forms, while exhibiting Byzantine art of the highest quality,” Unesco said.

It added that the architecture of the churches is “unique”, “confined to the Troodos region”, and “almost certainly of indigenous origin”.

The ten churches are the Ayios Nikolaos tis Stegis church in Kakopetria, the Ayios Ioannis Lampadistis monastery in Kalopanayiotis, the Panayia Phorviotissa church in Nikitari, the Panayia tou Arakou church in Lagoudera, the Panayia church in Moutoullas, the Archangelos Michael church in Pedoulas, the Timios Stavros church in Pelendri, the Panayia Podithou church in Galata, the Stavros Ayiasmati church in Platanistasa, and the Ayia Sotira tou Sotiros church in Palaichori.