| |
1. Mosfiloti is a thoroughly Greek
village of the Larnaca district and it is located at the
"heart" of the three big cities, Nicosia, Limassol,
and Larnaca. The Community of Mosfiloti has a distance
of about 21 kilometres from Larnaca, 22 kilometres from
Nicosia, and 44 kilometres from Limassol. These are distances
that one can cover by car in 25 minutes.
2. The name of the village Mosfiloti
(as well as that of the village "Mosfileri")
is synonymous and relates to the "mosfilia"
tree ("crataegus azarolus", loquat). The name
indicates an area full of such trees. It is worth noting
that the name used in Cyprus until today has ancient
Greek origins. Not many loquat trees are extant today
because, during the British rule and due to the poverty
and the scarce jobs, there were plenty of woodcutters
that cut down various trees, including the loquat trees,
and sold their timber to the British for their fireplaces.
They also used the timber for the construction of their
manors.
The British had a good relationship
with the inhabitants of Mosfiloti because they bought
timber from them and the Governor visited the village
every weekend for hunting. There were several inhabitants
that assisted him in the hunt and offered would be his
hosts for a meal in their houses.
3. Mosfiloti is served by a good road
network. It is adjacent to the old Nicosia - Limassol
road and has a distance of 500 metres from the new highway.
Through turnpike roads, it connects to the village Sia
in the west (about 2.5 km), to the village Psevdas in
the east (about 3.5 km), to the village Lympia in the
north-east (about 7 km), and to the village Pyrga in
the south (about 3 km).
The village of Mosfiloti existed in
the Mediaeval times. According to Nearchos Clerides,
the village was constructed around the monastery of
"Agia Thekla" that pre-existed. This monastery
was established by Saint Helen in 330 AD, along with
that of "Stavrovouni". The founding of the
village around the monastery must be placed around the
Byzantine times. During the Frank and Venetian domination
eras, the village was a feud but we do not know to which
family of noblemen it belonged. In old maps it is found
marked under the name Mesfolot and/or Mesfelot.
Under the monastery there was a spring
with holy water, which was used by the faithful for
the healing of skin diseases and cases of eczema.
The Holy Monastery of Agia Thekla
celebrates on the 24th of September, the day that our
church honours the memory of the great martyr and equal
to apostle, Saint Thekla. It is one of the biggest fairs
of the Larnaca district.
Henry Lite, the British traveller
and military man, who -during his visit to the Monastery
of Saint Thekla -stayed there for a night on the day
of the fair, mentions in a relevant text of his that
he was profoundly impressed by the poverty and misery
that prevailed amongst the rural population of the village,
something indicative of the ordeals and the hardships
that the Greeks of Cyprus suffered during the Turkish
domination (1571-1878).
4. Mosfiloti is built at an average
altitude of 250 metres, with its north and west borders
being a part of the administrative limits of the Nicosia
and Larnaca districts. It is the village of the Larnaca
district that is closest to Nicosia. It is a part of
the administrative area of Larnaca but comes under Nicosia
in terms of education and telecommunications. It borders
with three villages of the Nicosia district, in the
west with the village Sia, north with the village Alampra,
and north-east with the village Lympia.
5. The village is surrounded by the Pipis, Vizakeri,
Petromoutos, and Kalogeros mountains. The Pipis and
Kalogeros mountains were reforested in 1981 with pine-trees
and today they are considered as the "lungs"
of the village. The green and the variety of the mountains'
vegetation provide the village's natural beauty
From a geological point of view, what predominates is
the lava of Troodos's igneous complex, upon which dark
coloured soils developed. They are the mild knolls of
lava, upon which sparse pine-trees, thyme, and cistuses
(ladaniferous) grow.
The Mosfiloti village, like the villages
Pyrga and Sia, is located in a mining area due to its
richness in minerals. A large mine for the processing
of concrete and a work-site for the processing of asphalt
operate at its boundaries.
In previous times, excavations for
the detection of copper and gold were made. Two of them,
which are extant until today and are of a significant
depth, were made by a Greek person named Prompona. Ever
since then the excavations received the name ‹‹Prompona's
hole››. One of them is located at the foot of the Pipis
mountain and the other at the foot of the Vizakeri mountain.
Promponas, who was a geologist, transferred on donkeys
the material that he extracted from the two excavations
to a venue close to Agia Thekla for processing. Until
today, there are two small ponds in this venue, which
he used for the purpose mentioned above.
The village is crossed by a tributary
of the Tremithos river, which has water in its riverbed
also during the months of Spring. This is something
that justifies the existence of people here back in
older times, since in those days irrigation of the various
crops was done directly from rivers. In various pints
of the river there were small dams. Even until today
there is one of them near the Monastery of Agia Thekla,
along with the part of a raceway that was formerly used
to transfer water for the needs of the village and the
operation of a flourmill, which however is not extant
today. The region where the flourmill operated took
the name ‹‹Paliomylos›› (Old Mill). South of the "Agia
Thekla" Monastery there was also a small dam, serving
the agricultural needs of a region named ‹‹Vasileies››.
The water ran through the raceway and -at a point where
crossing was made impossible because of a small stream
-an arch with a spout was constructed. Part of it is
extant today and it is called ‹‹The Spout of the Vasileies››.
The river "Tremithos" crosses north of the
village and constitutes the village's natural borders
with the village Lympia. There also were small dams
there in previous times, serving the needs of agriculture
and the operation of two flourmills. Out of these two
mills, of which small parts are still extant, one can
also be found marked in the maps of the Land & Surveys
Department and it is located within the limits of Mosfiloti,
lending its name to the region that is called ‹‹Mylos››
(mill); the other is located within the limits of the
Lympia community. In 1945 a bigger dam was built in
the area of the small one, being of the stone-made type
and having a capacity of 18,000 m³, which was then demolished
in 1976 so that an even bigger dam would be constructed
in its place (220,000 m³). Most of it is within the
limits of the Mosfiloti community.
6. Ancient items, caves, and a common
(group) grave were found -from time to time -in various
venues of Mosfiloti.
South of the Agia Thekla Monastery, at a distance of
1 kilometre, some caves are extant until today that
are separated into "rooms" and it is believed
that they were inhabited up to the mediaeval times.
This region took the name "Spilioi" (Caves).
Testimonies of local people report that the elders found
in the caves clay pots, many of which they destroyed
because they were unaware of their value. In one of
those pots they also discovered the skeleton of a young
child. It is believed that -during the first years of
people settling in the area and during the conquerors'
raids -the inhabitants took refuge in the caves for
their protection. They hid the young children and the
infants, covering them with a cloth so that their cries
would not be heard and reveal their presence.
In the area where the offices of the
Community Council are housed, there is -until today
-a well. Until 1966, when a water supply system started
operating in the community, all the inhabitants of the
village used to pump water out of this well for their
daily needs, carrying it home in clay vessels.
In the road leading from Mosfiloti
to Lympia, a stone-made bridge was constructed in 1944
over the Tremithos river. At a distance of 1300 metres
north of the bridge, towards the Lympia village, there
is a small chapel dedicated to Saint Marina. Next to
it there was a shepherds' settlement. When the Turkish
army arrived in these areas from Lefkara, during the
year 1570, it attacked the settlement with canons, which
the Turks were trying out for the first time. They started
firing against the houses with stone-made shells and
the settlement was destroyed along with the church.
Those inhabitants that survived took refuge in the Lympia
village. The day that "Agia Marina" was destroyed
was a Tuesday and ever since then the region was named
‹‹ Kakotriti››› (Bad Tuesday).
The church of Saint Marina was reconditioned, while
signs of caves can be found in the area of the settlement
until today.
The area of ‹‹ Kakotriti›› was full
of thick forests. According to tradition, that is where
a large fire broke out and -with the aid of the winds
-the flames rapidly moved on towards the village of
Alampra, which is located about three kilometres west
of ‹‹Kakotriti››. Feeling scared, the people of Alampra
gathered in their village's church, "Agia Marina",
and in tears they fell on their knees and begged the
Saint to save them. And so the miracle happened. They
saw the shadow of a female leaving the church, followed
it, and saw Her guiding them there where the fire was
raging. They saw her kneeling and praying to God. In
a little while the fire died down and their village
remained untouched by the flames. It is ever since then
that the village received the name "Alampra",
generated by the privative prefix "a" and
the Cypriot word "lampro", which means "fire".
During the year 1426, the Frank ruler
of Cyprus, Giannos, learned that the Mamluks had landed
in Limasool and had started looting. He then took his
army from Potamia and proceeded toward Limassol. He
crossed through Mosfiloti and made a stop further south,
in Pyrga, where he gathered his entire army. From there
on he moved toward Choirokitia where he was defeated
and captured.
7. Mosfiloti receives an annual rainfall
of about 410 millimetres. A great variety of seasonal
vegetables such as potatoes, cabbages, watermelons,
melons, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, (Jerusalem) artichokes,
lettuces, okras, peppers, collards, eggplants and many
others are cultivated in its region. Olive and citrus
trees, legumes (French peas, broad beans, and chickpeas),
cereals (mainly barley), forage plants (tare and clover),
locust trees, as well as a few fig, loquats, and apricot
trees are also cultivated.
Till now there still are several olive
trees from the Frank domination era and so they are
named ‹‹Frangkoelies›› (Frank Olives). In previous times,
there were several vineyards south of the village and
for that reason the area bears the name ‹‹paliampela››
(old vines). There is also a region named ‹‹Kaminia››,
in which there used to be Kilns for the processing of
grapes, used for the production of wine and "Zivania"
(strong, transparent alcoholic beverage).
The village's inhabitants were formerly
occupied with embroidery, weaving, and knitting. These
things slowly disappeared as industrial units developed.
Because of the village's extensive
development, large scale reforestation, and the limited
land, a stockbreeding zone was created in a non-developed
region next to the mine. This is where the few remaining
stockbreeders were transferred. They raise sheep, goats,
and rabbits. There also are three large farms for the
breeding of poultry.
598 goats, 252 sheep, 270 pigs, 6 cows, and 677 poultry
were being raised in 1985.
8. The village's original core is
densely built, the houses preserving elements of the
traditional folkloric architecture to a great extent.
Gradually the settlement abandoned its original core
and spread along the main turnpike road that crosses
it.
From 1881 until 1921, Mosfiloti has
gone through fluctuations of its population. In 1881
the inhabitants were 162, decreasing to 161 in 1891,
increasing to 178 in 1901, to 200 in 1911, yet decreasing
to 169 in 1921. Since 1931 and onwards the population
had a steady increase. The large increase of population
in the village occurred after 1976 and it was due to
the settlement here of a large number of Greek-Cypriot
refugees after the 1974 Turkish invasion. So, according
to the official population census, in 1982 the population
increased to 803 inhabitants. In the last official population
census, conducted in 2002, the inhabitants numbered
1095.
The village's church is dedicated
to Saint Marina. R Gunnis (1935) reports that he had
seen in it a beautiful 16th century icon of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, as well as a 1684 icon of St. Tryfonas.
|