Pedoulas
Pedoulas is a village in the Nicosia province and it is situated about 75 km from the homonymous capital of Cyprus, 55 km from Limassol, 125 km from Larnaca and 85 km from Paphos.
Situated between Moutoullas and Prodromou, Pedoulas counts about 100 permanent residents but is one of the most popular mountain resorts of the Troodos Mountains. In fact, the village has been twinned with the Municipality of Peania and the former Municipality of Trikolonon, now called Gortynia.
Built at an altitude of more than 1100 meters, Pedoulas, the main village of Marathasa, is renowned for its cool climate, ideal for summer holidays, but also for the fresh fruit and vegetable growing all year round. This is where the delicious cherries of Cyprus are produced and the community is officially the most important cherry production area on the island of Aphrodite. On the other hand, agriculture has been an important factor in its economy over the centuries. During difficult times, the women of the settlement weaved famous woollen fabrics and later the settlement flourished and became an important tourist destination.
Pedoulas’ name comes from the word “pedilo (sandal in Greek)” because the village had a large amount of skins and many shoe-makers who were making sandals, while another version refers to the words “pedion (field)” and “laos (people)”, as, from above, the settlement looks like it is built on a small plain.
The history of Pedoulas begins back in Byzantine times and continues during the Frankish and Venetian domination, when the village was part of the royal estate. Shortly before the end of the Second World War, its economy began to grow, schools and public buildings were being built, churches were built, hotels were opened, and tanneries began to function, which are still preserved. The village turns into a pioneering tourist resort, a production center of cherries and a cultural and commercial hub of the fourteen villages of the Marathasa region.
The excursion to Pedoulas is another opportunity to visit the few churches of the area. One can start from one of the wooded churches of the village, Archangel Michael Pedoulas, which is the most important site of the community and is included in the Unesco World Heritage List. The imposing temple of the Prodromos Timios Stavros, which is the central church of the village, the small chapel of the Ipsosi Timioy Stavrou on a hill of the settlement, and the chapel of Agios Raphael Vrachon. In addition, you can see the small churches of Agia Marina and Agia Paraskevi, the chapel of Panagia Vorinis, Agios Panagiotis, Agios Onoufrios and the cemetery chapel of Agios Georgios.
In Pedoulas there are many visitors who come to the small shopping street of the settlement in order to buy the obligatory local products. Nature enthusiasts walk along the Nature Trails passing through the village, as it is said that there is a natural source that holds the secret to longevity. There are services in the area and hotels, restaurants and cafes that operate all year round. At the same time there are two Museums in Pedoulas, which are accessible to the public. The Byzantine Museum Pedoulas, which opened in order to house icons and sacred relics that were saved from the churches of the settlement, and the Folklore Museum of Pedoulas, which is housed in a restored building and offers a comprehensive picture of the social and economic development of the community. Moreover, there is also the Environmental Center “Stelios”, which offers seminars regarding the rich flora and fauna of the village. Other important sights of the village are the monument of Michael Stivaros, the house of Themistokli Dervi, a towering cedar 18 meters high and 165 years old, under the protection of the Department of Forests, as well as the historical high school of the community, which hosts the Youth State Orchestra each summer.