Falia

Falia is a village in the province of Paphos in Cyprus and it is situated 29 kilometers northeast of the homonymous city, 77 kilometers northwest of Limassol and 130 kilometers southwest of Nicosia.

A remote settlement, almost in the center of a mountain below Agios Fotios and very close to Houlou (5 km), Pentalia (6 km) and Lemona, Falia is now uninhabited. Until the Turkish invasion of 1974, it was a Turkish Cypriot village with 247 inhabitants, who, following the tragic events of that year and the mutual exchange of populations agreed by Denktas-Kleridis in 1975, moved to the occupied northern areas of the island. Since then, the community has remained deserted and the village is inhabited only in the summer months.

However, according to English travelers who arrived in the area in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the inhabitants of Falia seemed to be of gypsy origins. This was assumed on the basis of the local costumes, physical characteristics and behavior of the women in the village. Based on travelers’ testimonies, women were of much darker complexion than women in the other villages of the countryside, they had black hair, different nose and lips, wore many golden ornaments, they were free of the traditional Muslim veil, and finally, although Muslims, they spoke openly with a stranger in a group of men, something unacceptable to the particular religion and believers.

Within a short distance from the community, there is also the famous Panagia Chrysorrogiatissa Monastery and the Holy Monastery of Paphos, two of the most important monasteries in the province. Chrysorrogiatissa, located about 10 km away, is 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 here in the thousands each year in order to admire the miraculous image. The Holy Monastery, 8 km from the village, is one of the most ancient religious sites since it was built in 300 AD. on the ruins of an ancient Greek temple of the king of Paphos Nicocles (374/373-361 BC), which was dedicated to the goddess Hera.

Falia, otherwise also spelled as Faleia, does not have a communal authority, which makes it difficult to take decisions regarding the amelioration of the community and its maintenance. The few inhabitants who visit the village only in the summer, take great efforts in order to restore it and to face the irrigation problems, the lack of lighting and more. There are two livestock units in the village.