Pera Chorio Levkosias

Pera Chorio of Nicosia is a settlement of the Nicosia province and it is situated about 25 km south of the capital of Cyprus, 65 km from Limassol, 30 km from Larnaca and 130 km from Paphos.

Together with the community of Nisou Levkosias, Pera Chorio Levkosias shares a joint community council, although it has a separate self-government, and their close relations have been preserved over the centuries. At the same time, both communities have been twinned since 1998 with the Archangelos of Rhodes.

Almost in the center of Cyprus, Pera Chorio of Nicosia is built to the south of the Gialia river, just across Nisou (which gave it its name, being “beyond the river”, as pera means “beyond” and chorio is “village” in Greek). The history of the two settlements is tangled through the passage of time. Nisou Levkosias was the reason for the development of the settlement. In particular, the tradition says that Pera Chorio was founded because some shepherds of Nisou had their pens there and eventually moved to the area. After the Turkish invasion of 1974, there was a large number of refugees who settled there, and the self-housing settlements that can be seen to the southeast of the settlement, near Dali, were created.

Today the settlement counts about 2000 permanent residents. The municipality of Pera Chorio of Nicosia has private nursery schools, public and community kindergarten, two elementary schools (one is ecological) and a regional high school, where a small space dedicated to the Missing persons of 1974 has been set up. In the area there are many shops, bars, restaurants, gas stations and several factories.

In Pera Chorio Levkosias there are several churches, such as the Church of the Metamorphosi tou Sotiros (Transfiguration of the Savior) and Agia Marina, and some others, who, when large festivals are held, are celebrated by both neighboring communities. Also, around the settlement there are several sights of archaeological interest, such as the preserved mosque in Nisou, and the American’s home, where there was a hideout of the EOKA (where the Community Council building is currently housed). Finally, the visitor can take a stroll to the Folk Art and Traditional Architecture Museum of Pera Chorio-Nisou and the park near the Gialia river.