Liopetri

Liopetri is one of the most historic villages of the Famagusta province in the southeastern part of Cyprus, located about 18 kilometers from the center of Ayia Napa and at an altitude of 40 meters, just 5 kilometers from the sea.

For the origins of the name of the village there are many varied versions, but the prevailing one seems to claim that it is due to the fact that there is no rocky soil in the area (petra in Greek means stone). Liopetri is one of the kokkinohoria – red villages in the area (named after their red soil), famous for their fertile soil. This is where the famous gourd, also known as Jerusalem Artichoke, is produced.

The fierce battle and “the Barn Holocaust" at Liopetri are some of the most shocking events in the modern history of Cyprus. Today, the Barn of Liopetri, the field of one of the most crucial conflicts of the Cyprus Liberation War, when the British burned four fighters alive and Grivas Dighenis executed the one who betrayed them, is a monument that adorns the village. Another very important monument of the village is the monument of the mother with the many children. But the story of Liopetri is also associated with the life of the French surrealist poet-precursor Arthur Rebos, who worked there as a foreman during the period 1878-1880, abandoning his art and looking for livelihood in a warm country of the East.

In Liopetri, the tradition of centuries of folk poetry, lyrical and basket weaving continues to this day, alongside the work of the inhabitants, either in agriculture, livestock farming or tourism.

Anyone who makes a stop at Liopetri, is advised to take a stroll along the beach, either to take a dip at the Liopetri beach or to relax by the Liopetri river, the small picturesque fishing shelter that enjoys the fame of the island’s only fjord. A few meters away from the river, ruins of a Venetian observatory have been found, while Agios Georgios (Saint George of Liopetri) Liopetriou, a stone built chapel dedicated to Agios Georgios the Trophyoforos, dominates the area.

Two primary schools, a public kindergarten and community kindergarten are operating in Liopetri, while there are also two private kindergartens, as well as the institutions of Apostolos Varnavas and Apostolos Pavlos, which have the purpose of educating children with special abilities.

Liopetri has a church dedicated to Virgin Mary, Panagia Eleousa Liopetriou of the 16th or 15th century, as well as Saint Andronikos, which stands out for the remnants of his frescoes. Other churches are the church of Saint Epiphanios, and the chapels of Apostle Andrew and Agios Efstathios.