Lemona

Lemona is a village in the province of Paphos in Cyprus and it is located 25 km northeast of the homonymous city, 76 km northwest of Limassol and 131 km southwest of Nicosia.

Built at an altitude of 300 meters and among verdant hills, vineyards, fruit trees and olive groves watered by the river Ezousa, the Lemona village of the approximately 50 inhabitants constitutes an impasse, as the road from there does not lead to another village. In addition to the vineyards, almonds, fruit trees, citrus trees, olives and a few vegetables crops also thrive in the area. The settlement, which is a hunting site during the hunting season, keeps its traditional character and is basically a combination of old traditional houses with new homes built by some foreigners or restored houses renovated by some locals that come visiting at weekends.

There are no sources confirming the presence of the village during medieval times. However, it is probable that its name is of ancient Greek origins and comes from the word “limon” meaning meadow. Other versions indicate that the name is due to the many lemons that existed in the area, or due to the many stagnant waters (“limonas”) that gather here in the winter. Another version linked to the local tradition speaks of a variant of the word “daemon”, which was given to the village, but the inhabitants changed it, considering it bad for the village’s image. At one time, there was in a village cave a demon who attacked the women and the inhabitants of the village, but the Archangel Michael threw a lightning at him and burned him. According to the legend, the chain that was inside the church of this Saint was made out of the bones of this demon.

The church of Archangel Michael is the central church in the community, and there are also chapels dedicated to Agia Varvara and Agios Georgios. Other attractions include “Gerovrisi” and the monument of Philippos Papaloukas.

The visitor to Lemona can enjoy his coffee in the traditional cafeteria of the village and can be accommodated in houses that function as tourist accommodation and rooms for rent. In the small local cheesemaking facilities, one can taste exquisite dairy products, such as haloumi cheese, and one can also try and buy organic wine from the local winery of the community. The local vineyards have mostly grapes of the French variety Cabernet Sauvignon.

Very close to the community, the visitor can find the famous Panagia Chrysorrogiatissa Monastery (14 km) and the Holy Monastery of Paphos (12,5 km), two of the most important monasteries of the province. Chrysorrogiatissa 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 every year in order to see the miraculous icon. The Holy Monastery is also 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 Hera. Lemona is very close to Stato-Agios Fotios (11 km), Houlou (4 km), Falia (4 km), Letymvos (7 km), Kallepia (10 km), Pitargos (5 km) as well as other villages.