Anagia
Anagia is a village in Nicosia in Cyprus and it is situated 20 kilometers southwest of Nicosia, 67 kilometers northeast of Limassol, 48 kilometers northwest of Larnaca and 132 kilometers northeast of Paphos.
Built at an altitude of 300 meters and to the south of the Pedieou river, Anagia of the approximately 1,400 inhabitants has been honored for many consecutive years with the First Prize for Cleanliness and Beautification by the state institutions of Cyprus (2002-2007). A short, weekend escape from the urban centers of the island, the community, in which a kindergarten and elementary school operate, has been developed in recent years and offers several attractions to its visitor, who can eat in the taverns and restaurants of the village and walk around the beautiful neighborhoods with its brick-built houses and narrow streets.
The village has a rich historical past, as it was in ancient times a settlement of the kingdom of Tamassos, with the homonymous archaeological site located 5 km south of Anagia. Excavations that took place at the northern side of a small hill revealed a small necropolis with pre-Christian tombs dating from the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, as well as clay amphoras, objects and glass vials that are now exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Cyprus.
In the most recent history of the area, the Turkish Cypriots of the area left the community in the early 20th century, and after the Turkish invasion of 1974, a refugee settlement was established in which Greek Cypriot refugees arrived here from the occupied areas of northern Cyprus. The name of the village comes from the words “Ano” and “Agia” (meaning “upper road” in Greek) and is connected to a small road that leads to Anagia and deviates from the road that connects Nicosia with the mountainous area of Pitsilia.
In the community, one of the most important places of interest is the old stone-built church of Agii Nomon and Vichianou (also known as Agios Genadios), next to which is the old elementary school, while the community park “Andreas Christou”, situated at the top of the mountain in the east, offers panoramic views of the area.
The old temple of Agii Nomon and Vichianou is a small one-aisled basilica of the 13th century in the east of the village. Inside it are the exceptional iconostasis and two miraculous icons, that of the Virgin Mary and the Saints Nomon and Vichianos, painted over an older icon.
To the west of Anagia, there is the newly built church of the Saints, a three-aisled basilica with a dome that was completed in 2002. Their memory is celebrated on December 11, when many faithful come to the village, as they are the only churches worldwide that are dedicated to these Saints and in which their relics are also kept. The two Saints are considered miraculous for treatments related to the respiratory system, such as cough and flu infections.