Lazania
The village of Lazania or Lazanias is located in the Nicosia province, at about 40 km from the homonymous capital of Cyprus, 60 km from Limassol, 70 km from Larnaca and 120 km from Paphos.
On the Troodos Mountains and among many small settlements of the island of Aphrodite, the picturesque village of Lazania is nestled, allowing every visitor’s mind to wander in the old days. A stone’s throw from the village of Fikardou, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the famous Mahaira Monastery, the village counts a single permanent resident.
The history and name of the village of Lazania is interrelated with the foundation of the Monastery of Machaira (1160). In the past, in the wider area there were many smaller settlements with their inhabitants living in factions. Upon the monks’ initiative, eventually all the settlements united and the present village was established. Along the way, the village, along with others in the area, was given as a dependency to the Komnini dynasty. With the feudal system being applied by the Lusignan conquerors (1192-1489), all the privileges and dependencies of the Monastery were abolished and the settlement was given as a feud to one of the Lusignans. At that time the inhabitants of Pitsilia rebelled, and as a result “the Lazaniades (ie the Lusignans), took hold of the place”, hence the current name of the village.
Today, a walk in the village of Lazania returns the traveler back to the 1900s, when cobblestone houses with tiled roofs sprung among the winding streets, since most of the houses in the settlement, although renovated, retain these folk architectural characteristics. The jewel and the main attraction of the village is the church of Agios Georgios with the very special bell tower, while inside it there are three jars (buried in the ground) that provide the best acoustics during the mass. The village comes to live every Sunday, as many people come here for a walk, in order to enjoy the ofto kleftiko (lamb in the oven) in the local restaurant which is only open on this day, but there are also traditional houses for rent for those who want to experience a more lonely experience in the Cypriot countryside. Finally, a series of events are organized throughout the year from the Lazania Initiative and Solidarity Movement, which tries to disseminate the beauty and importance of the place.