Agia Marina Kelokedaron

Agia Marina Kelokedaron is a village in the province of Paphos in Cyprus and is situated 27 kilometers east of the homonymous city, 62 kilometers northwest of Limassol and 117 kilometers southwest of Nicosia.

Built in the midst of natural wild vegetation and wooded slopes at an altitude of 496 meters, Agia Marina Kelokedaron is one of the traditional villages of the province where grains, legumes, almonds, olives and carobs are cultivated, along with the obligatory vineyards. Apart from the enchanting and green natural environment of the area, the visitor will see in the picturesque neighborhoods of the settlement the 2 old drinking fountains decorated with arches and the beautiful churches of the community and can taste traditional products made with pure local ingredients by the women of the village, such as haloumi (local cheese), trahanas, soutzoukos (a traditional, chewy sweet made from grape juice) and palouzes (traditional sweet jelly made out of grape juice).

The origins of the name of the village comes from the homonymous saint and was given to the settlement in order to stand apart from the neighboring villages that were Turkish Cypriot, but also due to the very close distance from the Kelokedaron, as in this province finds itself also Agia Marina Chrysochous.

During the Ottoman domination, the village was built at the location of “Tzira Eleousa”, near Asprokremos (or Xero river) and the village of Nata, and later, the inhabitants that survived the Turkish massacres settled in the location “Agios Georgios”, which is situated close to the church of Agia Marina.

Until 1923 Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots were coexisting peacefully, but after a controversy that took place that year, the latter left the community.

One element that was characteristic of the village in the past is that, although the inhabitants were poor, they all had many children, since in 1920 the 17 families living in the village had 132 children. Another feature is that until 1960 the area was isolated and there was no way out, since it could only be approached by a small path. At that time, all the inhabitants, digging with casks and shovels, opened the first 4 kilometer road to neighboring Amargeti, thus gaining access to Paphos as well.

The central church is located in the heart of the village, dedicated to Agia Marina and it is a stone- built building of the Byzantine style, dating back to the 19th century.

To the southeast of the village is the ruined chapel of Agios Georgios, but the most impressive sight is located 4.5 kilometers northeast of the community and is Panagia (Virgin Mary) of Sindi, on the eastern bank of the Xeros River. The emblematic church is considered one of the most original examples of monastic architecture in Cyprus that belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage List and today constitutes an open museum and archaeological site with great historical and archaeological value.