Watermill of Kykkos

The Watermill of Kykkos is located in the village Kalopanagiotis, Nicosia, and is one of the area's cultural attractions.

Situated in a green environment about a kilometer south of Agios Ioannis (St. John) the Lambadistis, the Watermill of Kykkos was one of the best in the Cyprus and was declared an ancient monument restored by the Department of Antiquities as a sample of the pre-industrial era of Cyprus.

As its name implies, it belonged to the famous Kykkos Monastery, serving the needs of the inhabitants who arrived here from Kalopanagiotis, Moutoullas, Oikos of Nicosia and elsewhere to grind wheat or barley on their own. At the end of the 19th century, the Watermill of Kykkos was conceded from the monastery to individuals for rent, while in 1937 it was finally sold, along with the surrounding fields, to a resident of Kalopanagiotis, who paid for 10 consecutive years in order to pay it off. In 1953 this iconic building completely ceased its operation

The impressive building that receives many visitors a year and could grit 450 kg of wheat per hour is essentially a complex of buildings that were used for grinding with the water coming from the river. More precisely, the archway through which passed the water-carrying groove, the “anaolos”, the tall tower from which the water dropped to the lowest point of the mill, as well as the house with the heavy millstones, the shafts and the benches. Next to this building, there is a house that served as a place where those who came from distant areas could rest and where they could leave their mules and donkeys.

Characteristic of the Kykkos Watermill is a square aspopetra with a cross, inscription and embossed mask over the key of the arch on the south side of the mill, which probably was supposed to protect it from harm.