The Semi-Abandoned Village of Mathikoloni
Mathikoloni is situated in the Limassol District of Cyprus. It is a very picturesque blend of modern houses and abandoned ruins. It featured in the 70s BBC series "The Aphrodite Inheritance", so lets take a walk down memory lane...
Distant Mathikoloni
Being only semi-abandoned has its advantages to the intrepid explorer. It means the village itself is easy to get to. You can reach it via the F130, or possibly the F134. Google can't make up it's mind which road actually runs through it, as the map below shows. However, because we like exploring, we came to the village via bumpy farm tracks. This would enable us to visit an old church on the way...
Mathikoloni By Satellite
This shows the abandoned section of the village. The lived in bit is above the map. Note the confusing road markings on the left. Once we have visited the church, we will be approaching the village from the bottom right of this map.
Modern Church
The ancient church is near this more modern one.
Under Cover
It is under that shelter. I think it is called Agios Nickolaos. Let's take a closer look...
(Incidentally, take a look at the soil in this area. It is littered with old boulders. It must be a nightmare to farm properly.)
Ancient Altar
It looks like they had to excavate this at some point.
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If you've driven over the iron bridge which lies just beyond the abandoned village of Gerovasa, near the outskirts of Paphos Forest, then you will also have driven past the abandoned village of Trozena. Unless you are very observant, you won't have noticed it though, as it is barely visible from the road. It is worth taking a detour to explore the ruins, as these photos will hopefully show...
Abandoned Villages - Agios Fotios
Given that I wrote a blog about Statos last week, it would be unfair of me not to cover its close neighbour, Agios Fotios. Their histories are intertwined, as they were both abandoned for the same reason. Indeed, they merged to form a new, single town, called Statos Agios - Fotios. So what was left behind...
Foinikas Revisited
When we first blogged about Foinikas it was springtime, and the abandoned village was bathed in a sea of yellow. It was always an essential destination on our holidays, but we had never been in Spring, so it came as a pleasant surprise. However, it made it difficult to explore, as you never know what you might tread on when you have to wade through thigh-high flowers. As frequently happens with our blogs, people posted more information about the site in the comments. So we decided to pay another visit a few days ago, and explore it in more depth...
Abandoned Villages - Vretsia
Cyprus has more than it's fair share of abandoned villages. The troubles caused the displacement of both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.The environment itself has caused other villages to be abandoned for reasons of safety. Whatever the reason, the abandonment caused emotional pain and suffering to the affected people. So is it right to right a series of blog articles on them? I thought about this for a while, but decided that yes it was. Cyprus is a land built on antiquities, and these villages are just the latest example. I had no problem blogging about a Necropolis after all. However, some of these villages, and especially Ventris, do still get visits from the displaced families. So if you do decide to visit these places on the strength of these articles, please bear that in mind, and treat them with respect. The urban exploring motto "take only pictures, leave only footprints..." nicely sums it up.Related Pages
MapThe Semi-Abandoned Village of Mathikoloni
Mathikoloni is situated in the Limassol District of Cyprus. It is a very picturesque blend of modern houses and abandoned ruins. It featured in the 70s BBC series "The Aphrodite Inheritance", so lets take a walk down memory lane...
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Paphos Chat has been created for people who like our site and want to chat using Facebook. You can also easily upload photos of any size here. A lot of people are members of the Facebook chat group and the main forum. It's entirely up to you.
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eBookCyprus Road Trip 01: the Kathikas - Panagia Loop
Let me take you on a journey around the region of Paphos, Cyprus. Starting at Paphos itself, we travel to Akoursos, then Kathikas, Kritou Terra and Simou. We continue past Lasa and Kannaviou, before taking in the delights of Panagia. Getting a bit more adventurous, we visit the abandoned villages of Statos and Agios Fotios, before passing through Choulou, Letymbou and Polemi, and rejoining the main Paphos - Polis road.
The route is suitable for all types of vehicle, and requires no off-roading. The guide contains about 130 photographs including shots of all the road signs you need to pay attention to, as well as some of the highlights you may experience along the way.
There are also several maps which will help you keep your bearings.
You can do this journey in a day, or you can break it up into chunks. You can also do it in reverse, to get some completely different views. It is entirely up to you.
