Arediou
Arediou is a village in the Nicosia province of Cyprus, situated 26 kilometers southwest of Nicosia, 59 kilometers northeast of Limassol, 56 kilometers northwest of Larnaca and 126 kilometers northeast of Paphos.
Built at an altitude of 360 meters in the central part of the island, Arediou of the approximately 1,200 inhabitants is characterized by a natural landscape with the geological formations of marlstone, uncultivated and cultivated lands with olives, grain crops, vegetables and fruit trees, as well as the eucalypti trees that can be mainly found in river beds. Today it is a constantly growing area, as it has a low market value of plots, several livestock units, craft workshops, stores and also there is the bus terminal connecting the villages of the province to the suburbs of the capital. The various amelioration projects, the proximity to Nicosia, the fact that it is a transportation hub of the Cypriot hinterland with the urban centers, all these make Arediou a visiting destination throughout the year. The settlement consists of some old houses of traditional architecture and several modern houses, but it also offers several attractions for its visitor.
As an area, Arediou has been inhabited since ancient times, as evidenced by the prehistoric settlement and tombs of the Mycenaean, Hellenistic and Roman era found in the area. Later, under the Frankish and Venetian rule, the village was a feudal estate of Gioan D’Arra and Sanson de Nores and was founded by residents of the surrounding settlements that rented agricultural land and built there their first homes. The community during the Ottoman domination was mixed, with Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriot residents, but the former abandoned it after the intercommunal conflicts that broke out in Cyprus in the 1960s. After the Turkish invasion of 1974, three refugee settlements were set up in order to welcome Greek Cypriot refugees from the occupied areas of the north, two of which are located northwest of the community and the other in the north-east, increasing the population of the region.
The name of the village is linked to the name of Gioan Arras Diou, who, as mentioned, was the landlord of the area and an intermediate between the nobles and the peasants. The name in the Turkish language is pronounced as Aradiou, which became Arediou. Another version refers to the Byzantine name Aretios, which becomes Aretiu to indicate possession, while a third version refers to Areti, the princess of Tamassos, who used to wander with her horse around the village.
Today, the village has a kindergarten, elementary school and high school for the children of its inhabitants, a beautiful community park with playground, while the monument to the Heroes of the village is dedicated to the three fighters Savvas Iacovou, Ioannis Nikos Theodorou and Savva Theodorou, missing since the intercommunal riots of 1963 and the Turkish invasion of 1974. Attractions for the visitor to the community are the Museum of Folk Tradition Arediou, as well as the Early Christian baptistery located in the courtyard of the church of St. George, which dates back to the end of the 5th century AD. The baptistery is 85 cm high and 1.5 meters in diameter, made of local limestone, the interior of which is carved in the shape of a cross. According to tradition, it was previously located on the "Hill of the Cross”, where there was an ancient temple. The main church in Arediou is dedicated to Agios Georgios and is located in the center of the settlement. The single-spaced temple with crossed domes of the 20th century was built in 1915 in the place of a smaller church, from which only the iconostasis remains, which is now in the deserted temple of the Agii Iliofoti.
The one-aisled church of Panagia Odigitria is located in the east of the village and was built in the 13th century on the ruins of a pagan temple. On the inside, it is decorated with frescoes of the 13th-15th century, as well as a 17th century iconostasis. According to tradition, at the place where the temple is located, the Virgin Mary sat down when she passed from the area, while another tradition claims that Aretou, the daughter of the king of Tamassos, offered sacrifices at the altar that used to exist there. The myth also says that under the temple there is a golden coach that, when it is cleared and sold, will be able to feed all of Cyprus for 9 years, while the first one to see it, will lose his sight.