View PDF version of this page

со Of some Villages and Hamlets and [CH. The ancient name of the village Tamagia, which is in the direction of Famagusta, was Tamasus, and it is so called by the geographer Ptolemaeus, v. 14. Pliny however calls it Tamasos, v. 130, and Ovid, Met. x. 644 says : " there is a tract, the natives call it Tamasenus, the richest part of the land of Cyprus." Gold, copper and vitriol were formerly found here. Arcios, once a city, is now an inland village in the district of Paphos. Pellandros, once a city called Palea, is now a large village, which makes much wine, 24 miles from Limasol towards Mt Olympus. Other wine-producing villages are Zopi, Omodos, Limnari, once a city, and Eftagonia, which has also a vein of gold. At Cicco, a village situated on a spur of Mt Olympus, 60 miles from Nicosia, the Greeks have a monastery, with 150 monks of the order of St Basil, in which is a renowned picture of the Virgin Mary. The name of the convent is Trigugiotissa, but the people usually call it Cicco. The Cypriots greatly venerate this picture, and resort in crowds to a feast and fair held in its honour on the eighth of September, old style. Mt Olympus, called by the Greeks Throdos, is in extension and height the first mountain in the island. On its slopes are several convents of Greek monks, fewer however now than of old. In one part of it the snow is preserved all through the summer. A little village near is freed by the Turkish Government from all burdens except that of carrying this snow to the palace of the Governor at Nicosia throughout the summer. On Cape Cormachiti, a little inland, lies the large village of Gambeli ; an Agha, with limited powers, lives there. Its cotton is excellent. At Calopsidia with the ashes of the herb soda they make soap of indifferent quality. Among many other villages I may mention Ipso, Latrico, Morfu, Corno and Bergamo. Each of them has a church of the Greek rite.

View PDF version of this page