Agios Theodoros Pitsilias
Agios Theodoros Pitsilias is a village located in the district of Limassol in Cyprus and is situated 31 km north from Limassol, 34 km south of Nicosia, 82 km west of Larnaca and 88 km east of Paphos.
A small village built at an altitude of 1025, on the southeastern slopes of the Troodos mountain and among 7 hills, being the third highest village on the island, the Agios Theodoros Pitsilias is one of the many Cypriot villages with few inhabitants that receives many visitors during summer and the weekends. About 60 residents enjoy the cool climate, verdant surroundings, which combined with the dark stones present in the surrounding mountains form a beautiful backdrop for the visitor to enjoy. Almond, peach, cherry and apple trees, pines and poplars, flood the natural landscape.
The community owes its name to Saint Theodore (Agios Theodoros) the Commander celebrated on February 8, although some residents honored also the Saint Theodore the Teron on 17 February. Hence the village was also known as Agii Theodori (plural of Agios Theodoros).
According to past excavations, the Agios Theodoros Pitsilias or otherwise Agios Theodoros Agrou has existed since the Roman period (27 BC- 476 AD) as an ancient tomb with two chambers and vessels and coins was found in the region, while it was continuously inhabited during the Late Byzantine period, the Venetian period, up until the Turkish occupation.
The village has many attractions to offer the visitor, whether you choose to wander through the streets of the community, or enjoy its view from afar, seeing the greenery, the black stones, mountains and the red tiles of the stone houses. Inside the village, the fruit trees and vines provide shade in the streets of the village and the source of Lasmarkas with the 5 drinking fountains, the terebinth (turpentine tree) near the church of Panagia, “the oak of Koutsofta” and “the pine of Koutsofta”, which are protected by the Forestry Department are just some of the natural attractions.
At Agios Theodoros Pitsilias there used to stand seven churches, one for each hill of the village, but not all have survived the test of time. The church of Agios Mamas, Agia Paraskevi, the Archangel Michael, the Prophet Elijah are religious relics of the past.
Of those that have persevered, the church of Panagia tis Kivotou (Our Lady of the Ark) of the 12th century stands out, where you can admire a carved wooden iconostasis of the 17th century and two icons, the image of the Prophet Elijah and of Jesus Christ.
The church of Agios Georgios Tropeoforos (St. George the Triumphant) from the 1840 where an old gospel of 1550 is kept, was built when the residents of the nearby Agios Ioannis Pitsilias came to live in Agios Theodoros Pitsilias.
The church of Agios Theodoros o Stratilatis (St. Theodore the Commander) was built in 1977 at the same place where the homonymous church stood, following the vision of a local resident. According to locals, Saint Theodore indicated the point where the temple will be built, and asked for it to be surrounded by cypresses, pines and acacias.
The small chapel of Agia Kyriaki is located north of the village, in the middle of the peaks “Papoutsa” and “Aloupotrypes”.
Some of the people that are associated with the village Agios Theodoros Pitsilias are Onoufrios Clerides, who was killed by the British in 1931 during the events of that October and Adamantios Diamantis, known Cypriot painter who spent his summers inthe village and which in fact, constituted a source of inspiration for many of his works. Also, the old offices of the Community Council have been converted into a museum, one room of which will be dedicated to the Cypriot painter.
In the community you will find a restaurant and a traditional café and there are often houses for rent. Next to the church of Panagia is a traditional olive mill and the Museum of Rural Life of Agios Theodoros Pitsilias which includes exhibits that revive the rural past of the village.
For nature lovers, just outside Agios Theodoros Pitsilias there is a country road leading to the top of the mountain Papoutsa.