Xylofagou info english language

Xylofagou -Cyprus

my lovely village

it’s the place where I started the journey of my life and has the roots of my family.

It’s the best place on earth, the most beautiful and spectacular village on earth.It's my village.

A village is a quiet and lonely place where is prefect for rest and appreciation of the beauties of nature. Flowers, fruit plants and vegetables surround our house. All this makes our house look green and fresh. There are many trees and vegetables near our house that gave beauty to our place. The spectacle that appears before your eyes as you travel through Xylofagou, is the ceaseless agricultural activity, the fully mechanized farming and the dark-green colour of the potato plants next to the deep red colour of the uncultivated soil.

Can I not mention the hospitality of the wonderful people in the village. To be continue……..

Xylofagou (Greek: Ξυλοφάγου) is a sprawling Greek-Cypriot village situated close to the A3 Motorway between Dhekelia (Larnaca) and Paralimni / Agia Napa. It lies on the northern flank of a hill,[2]on the edge of an area of a group of several similar villages known as the Kokkinochoria (red earth area), known for growing vegetables, especially potatoes.

Name & History

There are two versions of how he got the name of the village.

At first, the sea area is known since ancient times for its shipwrecks caused. This site who "ate the wooden boats' named Xylofaou.

In the second version, which is the most prevalent, the village embraced a dense forest. Once, appeared worm apparently insect, which devoured the tender shoots of trees and destroy them. The inhabitants named the worm that "xylofaon". With time prevailed called the village Xylofaou.

Visitxylofagou

1.Pervola beach(for swimming  and sunbathing)

2.Capo pyla (visit the caves by the sea -swimming-fishing)

3.St.Mary Church -panagia (by the sea - kiosk-picnic-playground)

4.St.Gerorge Church (16th century-theater-playground).

5. Pyrgos (be with nature)

6. Limanaki - port (kiosk - picninic - fishingboats-fishermen)

7.Potamos - cove (fishingboats- fresh fish -restaurants-fishrmen)

Xylofagou Village

The beaches of Xylofagou extends over a distance of ten kilometres. Starting from the area of Pervolas, an area with beautiful sandy beaches. The sandy beaches of Xylofagou is full of locals and foreign visitors during the summer. Swimming, sunbathing and fishing are some of the activities on the beach. Next to the sandy beaches of pervolas is the St. Mary church (panagia). The church of Panagias is built on a rocky area surrounded by greenery, near to the sea. After the church of Panagias,Visitors will find the Cape Pyla.

Maritime - coastal exploration of the caves of Capo Pyla - Xylofagou

Xylofagou coastline is rocky, ten kilometers in length (plus), located inside the British bases and has no tourist infrastructure (or relative development). Therein lies the Cape Pyla and a medieval watchtower. The road network may be very poor. The eastern half of the shoreline is quite low and there is a fish farm and to its west, fortunately away from the coast a quarry. There is a very large number of caves on the coastline of Xylofagou. Many of the caves are entering the cliffs somewhat away from the sea. There are stalactites at least in one of the caves (the entrance of which have been closed to protect it). One of the caves has two inputs and pass through over the Waterbikes (probably very hard to do with another kind of vessel). There are also caves with inlet below the water surface.

Usually the linear route ends at the bay called 'Red cliffs'. The coast to the west is lowered again (there are few interesting coves here). The linear path length 10 to 11 km (6 miles) and the round trip from the harbour to the river of Liopetri takes 3-4 hours. The coastline of Xylofagou is a wild, on virgin rocky part of the southwestern coast of

xylofagou info - Ξυλοφαγου

The spectacle that appears before your eyes as you travel through Xylofagou, is the ceaseless agricultural activity, the fully mechanized farming and the dark-green colour of the potato plants next to the deep red colour of the uncultivated soil. The domed church of Agios Georgios, near the center of the village, next to a new church, is possibly a 16th century edifice. Another medieval cultural monument is the Venetian fowerto the south-east of the village. It overlooks cape Pyla, between Larnaka and Cape Gkreko. The tower, at an elevation of about 100 metres a.si, can be seen from afar. The tower is circular, about six metres in diameter and five metres tall. Also in Xylofagou, in a vertical cliff on the sea, east of cape Pyla, there is a labyrinthine cave, known as “The Cave of the Forty Martyrs”. The cliff which houses the cave is about 40 metres high and the entrance to the cave is about 12 metres above sea level. Any attempt to enter the cave is considered very dangerous and a visit to the cave is definitely not recommended. On the floor of the cave, however, one comes across fossilized bones and it is still not clear if they are human or belong to animals long extinct. According to tradition it is here that 40 martyrs of Orthodoxy lived and were buried, either using the cave as a catacomb during the early years of Christianity or as a refuge during the dark ages of Ottoman occupation of the island.

St. Mary Church – (Panagia) I think we all have a beautiful place in our mind. I have a wonderful place that made me happy.This place is meaningful to me because it is part of my village, is part of the community where I grew up and is part of my life. Every time when I feel upset or sick, I like to go there, a special place where I can relax myself and feel better, a place where I can prayer. The church of Panagias is built on a rocky area surrounded by greenery, near to the sea. The historic church of St. Mary (Panagia) is one kilometers southwest of the village. According to tradition, this space was an old monastery built in the 13th century.The raids from Mamluk Turks in 1426 brought destruction to the monastery. After a period of 200 years was built again by two brothers Hatji and Vlachos. Later in 1980 was renovated by Evangelos Vrahimi and wife Chiona. Panagia are meaningful to people of my community because they are natural and people can be there alone, away from their everyday life.I use to go there to be alone or to dream with my eyes open admiring the blue sky and the sea. I go there with a reason or with no reason at all.

the blazon of Demetrios Palaiologos

The coat of arms includes two headed eagle nails holding bullets. The black color composition of the two-headed eagle, located on a two-tone red and silver shield color, quite faded. Demetrios was a potential landlord of the region and donor or owner of the village church. Demetrios Palaiologos was also the owner of the village Elia near Karavas. In this village was located on a tombstone, family crest of Palaiologo, the same as what is found in the church of St. George in Xylofagou.

Pyrgos Xylofagou

Three kilometers south of Xylofagou, the highest point of the plateau of Cape Pyla, at an altitude of about 100 meters from the sea, is Pyrgos. The landscape is limestone and rough. The rocks descend steeply into the sea and not allow access.

The view from here is panoramic and majestic. The area particularly around the Tower, is rocky. Visitors who loves wild vegetation will enjoy here a wide variety of weeds and wild flowers, cyclamen, matsikorida will breathe pure oxygen and enjoy the fragrant scent of thyme, the soft pink of cyclamen.The tower is cylindrical with a circumference slightly bigger base and is built of hewn cubic limestone.

The Censola, Ambassador of the United States in Cyprus, around 1870 had the permission from the Sultan to excavate anywhere on the island. In an effort to discover the ancient city of "Thrones", which  Stravon wrote about it (Greek geographer, philosopher, and historian – 64bc -23ad) and explored this region, initially believing that the ancient city was here in Cape Pylas. Excavations but did not find any sign that indicates the existence of the ancient city. The only identified were deep scars from the wagon wheels Roman era.

For Pyrgos Xylofagou (the Tower) Censola gives the information below:

"At the highest point of the hill is a large tower which the Pocoke describes like an ancient ruin, but a simple watchtower built before the reign of the Lusignan. The circumference at the base is 86 feet and the current height is 22.5 feet . At the height distinguishing the input traces. The lower part of the tower was built around the 18 feet where they made ​​entry to be climbed by ladder. "

During the Second World War the tower was used by the British as an observatory for marking enemy ships, submarines and aircraft.☁