Asgata
Asgata is the easternmost village in the Limassol district and is 27 kilometers east of Limassol, 51 km south of Larnaca, 67 km southwest of Nicosia and 92 km east of Paphos.
Built in the middle of a green valley at an altitude of 190 meters, Asgata village borders with the district of Larnaca and was known in the past for its mines that provided an economic impetus to the area, giving work to residents and developing the road network. Besides the sedimentary rocks (chalk, marl and marl chalks) encountered in many places, there are also calcareous soils in the settlement where legumes, carob, olive and almond trees, fruit trees, citruses and vegetables are cultivated. The village is made out of stone houses with courtyards full of flowers and narrow alleys, but outside the heart of the community you will also find more modern buildings.
For the name of the village there are two versions. The first states that it comes from the latin medieval suffix "-ata" indicating a property. As plural suffix “-ata” emerged after and means “the land of Askas”. The second version mentions two Doric words, the “as” (up to) and “Gata” (farmer) indicating that the area was inhabited since ancient times by farmers. Because of their high production of agricultural products, to the village came many traders who if asked where they were going, they answered “as gatas” meaning “to the farmers”.\
The mines of Asgata, also known as Kalavasou mines, operated intermittently from antiquity until 1976. The archaeological excavations revealed several findings, such as many ancient tunnels and ramps. The prosperous times of the mines were succeeded by a long period of decline, until 1928, the year when it was decided to resume their operation, giving Asgata the opportunity for development in many areas. Relics from those times constitute also the train carriages on their rails, used for ore transportation and that you can see today in an outdoor exhibition. There is also a well with a stone drinking fountain.
Wandering around Asgata, the visitor will see the beautiful village square in the center, with the notable Costas Pyrros Community Library (who was a benefactor of the community) and the community park. In the village you will find also all the services (Cooperative Bank, Cooperative Grocery, the Community Council offices) and three café-restaurants. The old primary school on the hill of the village is a building of the 1930.
Among the religious sights that can be seen by the visitor are the church of the Agion Apostolon Petrou kai Pavlou (Holy Apostles Peter and Paul), the Church of Dodeka Apostolon (12 Apostles) and the chapel of Agia Marina (Saint Marina).
The Church of 12 Apostles is a small basilica, without a bell tower and it is the first church of Asgata, known as “Palia Ekklisia (Old Church)”, while today there is found the cemetery of the village.
The church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, a single-aisled stone church with its tall bell tower with the three arches, is the large main church standing in the center of the village on the square, next to the library and it was built between 1830 and 1870. Inside the church, there are the bishop’s throne and shrine that were built in 1888, while the wooden iconostasis was constructed in 1910. In the churchyard is a monument dedicated to George Chr. Katsaris, who was killed during the inter- communal riots of 1963-64.
The stone chapel of Agia Marina, a small basilica without a belfry, can be found east of the village, next to the creek Arkosykias and was built in the 1990s with the donation of a local family. At the site where the chapel was built, there used to be another, older, building and the icon of the saint.