Asprogia
Asprogia is a village in the province of Paphos in Cyprus and it is situated 33 km northeast of the homonymous city, 86 km northwest of Limassol and 123 km southwest of Nicosia.
Standing almost at the limits of the famous Paphos forest and very close to Kannaviou and Pano Panagia, Asprogia of the few dozen inhabitants is one of the small ampelochoria (wine-producing villages of Cyprus) of the province, built at an altitude of 670 meters among olive trees, meadows, oak trees and plane trees. The distance from the urban centers may be relatively large, but this allowed the settlement to maintain its traditional folk architecture, boasting old and beautiful buildings in the village’s core. An important occupation for the locals is the production of zivania (traditional Cypriot pomace brandy), soutzoukos (traditional Cypriot sweet, made out of wine) and palouzes (sweet traditional jelly, made out of wine), products of exceptional quality because of the local soil that favors the cultivation of vineyards and the grapes.
The central church of the community is dedicated to Agios Epiphanios and is a stone-built small temple.
Very close to Asporgia, at a distance of 4 kilometers is the very beautiful and well-known Monastery of Panagia Chrysorrogiatissa, a magnificent building complex that was founded in the 12th century and is a place of pilgrimage for many local and foreign visitors (mainly from Russia), who come in the thousands every year in order to admire its miraculous icon.
Very close to the community is also the Holy Monastery of Paphos (5.5 km), one of the oldest religious sites of the island, which was built in 300 AD. on the ruins of an ancient Greek temple of the king of Paphos Nicocles (374 / 373-361 BC) that was dedicated to Hera.
The “Spilios t’ Ai Sozonta,” is a large cave that Saint Sozon used to hide in when he was pursued by the Saracens in the 7th century. First the Arabs burned the icon of the Virgin Mary in the Holy Monastery of Paphos, then they chased him. The saint, who was tending to his flock together with other children of his age, entered the cave in order to escape.
After the Saracens discovered his hiding place, they set fire to the cave and burned it. According to tradition, through the cave run water that was holy and it was a cure for skin rashes, while residents of the area used to hang clothes on the wild shrubs near the cave as an oblation for sick people. Today, however, there is no indication of water in the cave.
In the area that Saint Sozon became a martyr, opposite the cave and the river, a church was late built with his icon and his relics. The ruins of this temple are visible to this day and the icon is kept in Chrysorrogiatissa Monastery, while some of the remains are preserved there and the rest are in the Monastery of Machaira.
Agios Sozon is a local saint of Pafos who celebrates on September 7th and before he was sanctified, he was a shepherd from “Plakountoudin”, a medieval settlement near Asprogia.