Agios Sozomenos
Agios Sozomenos is a village of Nicosia in Cyprus and it is situated 22 kilometers southeast of Nicosia, 78 kilometers northeast of Limassol, 33 kilometers northwest of Larnaca and 143 kilometers northeast of Paphos.
A deserted settlement between the villages of Potamia and Geri, Agios Sozomenos is situated next to the green line and was a pure Turkish Cypriot village that is now standing abandoned among ruins and debris that indicate the troubled past of the area. Even though it is not a living settlement, it is a remarkable location, ideal for photographers and ghost town enthusiasts. That is why a film about this village and its history was made in 1987 by Panikos Chrysanthos. The visitor to Agios Sozomenos will be enchanted by the colors of the landscape and nature and the beautiful deserted corners among the half-ruined buildings that dominate the area. At the root of a hill is the ascetic cave-tomb of the Saint Sozomenos that is carved in the rock, and inside it there are some portable icons and old half-destroyed frescoes, while down the road from the cave is the intact building of the village church, as well as the ruins of the impressive Gothic temple of Agios Mamas. Also in the area are the ruins of houses and the community school.
Historically, during the inter-communal turmoil that broke out in the 1960s between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, the village was completely destroyed, while during the Turkish invasion of 1974, it was the stage for battles between the two fractions. However, according to a Time magazine article published in 1964, the abandonment of the settlement was due to the following incident: Some Greek Cypriots on a jeep approached the village to start a water turbine in order to irrigate an adjacent settlement, but fell victims to the Turkish Cypriots. On the other hand, Turkish Cypriots have claimed that Greek-Cypriots opened fire on Turkish Cypriot shepherds. In any case, the result was that two people were killed by the bullets fired and another two injured. After the Greek Cypriots survived the ambush, they returned with reinforcements from the surrounding villages, encircling the area. The battle that followed resulted in several losses on both sides. After the battle and the arrival of peacekeepers, 50 armed Turkish Cypriots arrived in the village and they transferred the remaining Turkish Cypriot residents to Louroutzina and the area was abandoned.
The surrounding area of Agios Sozomenos has been included in the Nature 2000 network, due to the rare wetland system from the Almyros and Alikos river beds, the rich flora and fauna of the area (foxes, owls, falcons, endemic bird species, etc.), while in the vicinity of the settlement there is also a quarry.