Hot Springs Kalopanagioti

The Hot Springs Kalopanagioti are a natural attraction which is near the Setrachos river, next to the homonymous Venetian bridge, in the Nicosia province.

Known since ancient times for the therapeutic properties of the sulphurous waters, bathing facilities were established for those desiring healing from the hot springs and have been visited by the kings of Soloi, Romans, Byzantines and Franks.

The spa was initially dedicated to the god Asclepius and the patients were bathing to the spot where the water was gushing out of the springs. During Christian times the monastery of St. Iraklidis was built around the springs and was operating as a Christian spa. This went on for centuries until it was stopped during the Ottoman era. It gradually resumed in the cells of the monastery of St. John the Illuminator and later in the houses of the village, reaching its peak in the decades 1920-1950, as it was done in tubs of sheet metal in homes and hotels of Kalopanagiotis.

The therapeutic properties of the sulphurous waters of the area have been confirmed by scientific analyses in many chemical laboratories of Europe like Germany in 1850, Paris in 1932, Germany in 1963 and later from other Greek studies. The locals talk about people brought to the spa in a condition of total immobility and after a month of balneotherapy they had impressive results.

The water of the hot springs of Kalopanagiotis can be used for internal purposes (digestive disorders, urinary organs problems, weakness and anemia and skin diseases), and external, with bathrooms (rheumatic diseases, blood pressure, stimulate the nervous system, skin diseases etc.). The water of the springs is used for balneotherapy until today.