HISTORY
Omodos
is located about 42 kilometres north-west of the
city of Limassol, in the geographical region of
the wine-making villages. It is built near the west
bank of the Cha-potami river at an average altitude
of 810 meters. The village is surrounded by tall
mountaintops, the tallest of which are "Afames"
(1153 m.) and "Kremmos of Laona" (Laona's
Steep, 1092 m.).
The
village receives an annual average rainfall of
about 760 millimetres; vines and various fruit-trees
(apple, plum, pear, peach, and apricot trees)
are cultivated in the region. There also are uncultivated
areas that are taken over by varied natural vegetation.
A small part of the village -in its north part
-is taken up by the state forest of Pafos.
Regarding transportation, Omodos is connected
with the village of Mandria (4 km.) in the north-east
and the villages Vasa Koilaniou (3 km.) and Malia
(5.5 Km.) in the south-west.
The community has gone through large fluctuations
of its population. In 1881 the village's inhabitants
were 572, increasing to 630 in 1891, to 660 in
1901, to 813 in 1911, to 895 in 1921, to 906 in
1931, and to 1006 in 1946. Then the community's
population started to decrease due to urban pull
and migration that hit all the villages of the
region. So in 1960 the inhabitants decreased to
942, in 1976 to 764, and in 1982 to 549. In the
2001 census the inhabitants were 311.
The
village was quite probably created at the end
of the Byzantine era or the beginnings of the
Frank Domination era, after the Pano and Kato
(Upper and Lower) Koupetra settlements, found
in the east bank of the Cha-potami river, were
dissolved. According to tradition, Isaac Comnenos
-who was the despot of Cyprus (1185-1191) -found
refuge in Koupetra after his defeat by the English
King Richard Coeur-de-Lion in Kolossi until Richard
summoned him to Limassol for talks and a truce.
This means that Koupetra existed in 1191 and dissolved
later.
After the break-up of the Koupetra settlements
a new settlement was created around the original
Holy Cross Monastery, taking the name Omodos.
In any case, the village did exist during the
Frank Domination era. De Masse Latri mentions
it as a feud. The mediaeval annalist Leondios
Machairas reports that Omodos had been granted
to the nobleman Jean de Brie by the king of Cyprus,
Jacob I, on the occasion of his election in 1832.
The village is found marked in old maps as Homodos,
Homocios, and Omodos.
For the Greek name of the village the predominant
interpretations are
the following three:
| 1. |
Coming from
the Cypriot word "modos", which
means, "taking your time", with
tact, carefully. The inhabitants of Koupetra,
after observing a light at the opposite mountain
every night, went to see what was going on
and found that the light was coming out of
a thick and unapproachable, prickly bush;
in order to get through it they had to cut
it down, telling one another "me to modo
sou" (meaning "take your time, act
carefully"), until they finally entered
a cave with a wooden cross and a candle inside.
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| 2. |
Many streets that lead
to the surrounding villages start from the
village. Out of the adverb "omou"
(with) and the word "odos" (street),
Omodos was formed. |
| 3. |
It is reported in Frank
documents that the feudal lord Homodeus lived
in the region and it is very probable that
the village was named after him. |
Since
ancient times Omodos is renowned for its superb
grapes and tasty wines. According to tradition,
the -of excellent quality and sweet smelling -wine
Afames, which took its name from the mountain
that bares the same name and is located east of
the village, was the cause for the island being
conquered by the inebriate Sultan Selem II so
that he could have this famous wine as his own.
The known mediaeval winepress, found at a small
distance from the Holy Cross Monastery, is evidence
to the fact that production of traditional wine
took place in Omodos since ancient times.
The
inhabitants of Omodos, apart from growing vines
and producing excellent wine and "zivania"
(traditional alcoholic beverage), also handle
the making of "soutzoukos" (must-stick
with almonds), "palouze" (must jelly),
"kkiofterka" (dried must jelly in rhomboid
pieces), and "koulourka" (rusks).
The "arkatena koulourka" (crunchy
rusks with yeast) of Omodos are also well known
and sought after throughout Cyprus. Also, genuine
and of excellent taste sweets are made out of
local fruits.
Home handicraft flourishes in Omodos. The village's
women, apart from the plentiful and hard work
that they offer next to their husbands for the
cultivation of the earth, are also occupied with
handmade embroideries, making wonderful brocades,
tablecloths, threaded quilts, and narrow-knit
and Chantilly laces.
Omodos,
built at the slope of the mountain, between a
verdant carpet of vines, surrounded by mountains
that appear as though they were placed in a masterly
layout, is one of the most picturesque villages
of Cyprus. The large plaza of the village, unique
in its graphic quality and size, in front of the
majestic monastery of the Holy Cross, the mediaeval
Winepress, the narrow alleys, and the stone-made
houses all "drowned" in green lend a
special beauty and charm to the village. Moreover,
the village's houses themselves present some interest
as far as folkloric architecture
is concerned, with the tiled roofs or terraces,
the picturesque upper storeys, the paved and flowery
yards with jars inside, the wooden doors and the
variously decorated gateways, and the balconies
and elongated rooms being the main elements. Folkloric
art is also preserved in a traditional manner
inside the houses where one can observe the old,
tall bed with the in-wrought mosquito net, the
chiselled couch, the chairs with straw-fibre,
the walls decorated with frames made out of silkworm
cocoons, the fire-stove and chimney with its copper-made
pots, the "tsestos" (wicker-made hamper)
and the "tatsia" (very fine sieve).
In addition, the large, red jars used for the
storage of wine are found in the house's stockroom,
which is -above everything else -a workroom for
the processing of grapes. The old plough, the
wineskin, the grapes' grinder, the hampers, and
the caldron for the "zivania" are also
still preserved.
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However,
what characterises the inhabitant of Omodos is
his/her immensely "big heart" and traditional
hospitality he/she offers; one cannot find a similar
one in -almost- any other part of Cyprus. In order
to strongly comprehend all these, you must live
in this place along with these people and all
those elements that it is composed of.
The French president of the world-wide association
of tourism journalists and travelling writers
said that there were two places in the entire
world that made a strong impression on him, the
"Machu Picchu" of the Inca tribe in
Peru of Latin America and the village Omodos of
Cyprus.
Omodos is -perhaps- one of the few villages that
keeps unadulterated its old beauty and its absolutely
Cypriot character.
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