Axylou
Axylou is a village in the province of Paphos in Cyprus and is situated 21 kilometers east of the homonymous city, 67 kilometers northwest of Limassol and 150 kilometers from Nicosia. Built at an altitude of 300 meters and surrounded by vineyards, towering cypress trees and the seasonal crops of the valley of Ezousas river, Axylou is a small community almost united with Eledio.
The village was a purely Turkish Cypriot settlement until 1953 and the great earthquake that struck Paphos. At that time, the community suffered severe disasters and the English government decided to move the settlement to a safer location, where the village is today. The English made houses for the inhabitants, while at the same time they transferred the Turkish Cypriots of Eledios to the settlement, turning the latter into a purely Greek Cypriot settlement.
After the Turkish invasion of 1974 and the mutual exchange of populations under the Denktas-Clerides agreement, all Turkish Cypriots of Axylou moved to the occupied areas of northern Cyprus and Greek Cypriot refugees arrived in their place, with the Cypriot government giving them the houses of the Turkish Cypriots.
In the village there is a park and a café, while in the west there is a hill overlooking the wider area and the surrounding vineyards.
Because of the Turkish Cypriot past of the community, the churches that serve the religious needs of the few locals, belong to neighboring Eledios, such as the small stone-built church of St. Irene and the modern chapel of St. George, a small and modern church built on a hill.
Yet another religious point of interest in Axylou is the cave of Saints Epiphanios, Chariton and Alexandros in the area of the hill “Mouttis t’Ai-Bifanis” (Top of the Saint Epiphanios). The roadworks that took place to the right of the main road from Nata to the village brought to light the back side of the cave, which is today its main entrance. The cave, located directly on the road, is dug in marbled rock and resembles a constructed tomb with a curved roof. According to sources, Saints Epiphanios, Charitonas and Alexander were among the 300 refugees from Palestine who fled to Cyprus and practiced here their religion.
Very close and to the northeast of the community the visitor will also find the famous Panagia Chrysorrogiatissa Monastery (15.5 km) and the Holy Monastery of Paphos (14.5 km), two of the most important monasteries in the province. Chrysorrogiatissa is a magnificent building complex that was founded in the 12th century and is a place of pilgrimage for many local and foreign visitors (mainly from Russia), who come here in the thousands per year to see the miraculous icon. The Holy Monastery is also one of the most ancient religious sites, since it was built in 300 AD. on the ruins of an ancient Greek temple of the king of Paphos Nicocles (374 / 373-361 BC), which was dedicated to Hera.
The Axylou village is located close to Nata (5 km), the Amargeti (4 km), the Stavrogonno (11 km), the Eledio (2.5 km) and the Episkopi Pafou (6 km) villages.