Mosfiloti
Mosfiloti is a village of the Larnaca district in Cyprus, situated 25 km northwest of Larnaca, 42 km southeast of Nicosia and 60 km northeast of Limassol.
Surrounded by low mountains with pine trees, next to the Tremitos River and at an altitude of 250 meters, Mosfiloti is the closest village of Larnaca to Nicosia, but its educational and telecommunication services are considered as part of the capital. The dam at the boundaries of Mosfiloti helped in the agricultural development of the region and today here are cultivated seasonal vegetables, potatoes, watermelons, melons, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, lettuce, cabbage, okra, peppers, sprouts, eggplants, legumes, cereals, carob trees and others.
The name of the village emerged from mosfilia (crataegus azarolus), a tree abounding in the area. Today there are not many azeroles left, because during the British occupation, several woodcutters cut and sold them for timber to the English.
Mosfiloti has existed since the medieval times and was built around the Agia Thekla Monastery, founded in 330 AD. together with the Stavrovouni Monastery by Saint Helen, when she returned from the Holy Land and had with her the Holy Cross. During the periods of Frankish and Venetian domination, Mosfiloti was the feud of a noble family. After the Turkish invasion of 1974 and more specifically in 1976, the Turkish Cypriot residents moved to the north and many Greek Cypriot refugees arrived in the village from the occupied areas, creating a refugee settlement and increasing the population of the community.
In various locations of Mosfiloti were found ancient objects, caves and a group tomb. South of the monastery of Agia Thekla, are the “Spilioi”, caves that were made up of rooms and are believed to have been inhabited during raids, when the inhabitants fled to the caves to protect themselves.
Today, Mosfiloti is a settlement that combines traditional folk architecture in the village’s core and the more modern residences along the main asphalt road that crosses it. The central church is dedicated to Agia Marina and was built in the 1980s. The old stone church of Agia Marina was probably built in the middle of the 17th century and was restored in 1990. The icons inside the temple have been crafted by the well-known hagiographer and priest Filaretos in 1680. According to tradition, at the site of Agiasmata, there is a brook that Saint Marina had sanctified and as a result, today it is flowing during the summer months. In the old times, in the sanctuary area people prayed in order to make it rain during periods of drought, while those who wanted to make a vow to Saint Marina, used to hang pieces of clothes on the trees surrounding the sanctuary.
One of the curious things in the community is the Michel Platini Museum, a venue with various objects that used to belong to the former French footballer and a UEFA player and which hosts over 30,000 souvenirs and claims a place in the Guinness World Records as the museum with the most football souvenirs on the planet. To this museum-tavern come many tourists and international media to learn more about the site.
The visitor to Mosfiloti can also admire a beautiful double arched bridge that connects the village with Limbia and was built in 1944 at the site where Tremithos joins its tributary, which springs in the area.
A little further north of the bridge, outside the village there is a small restored chapel dedicated to Agia Marina. Its iconostasis is adorned with an icon of Virgin Mary and another of Saint Tryphon, both of the 16th century and of invaluable value. According to tradition, there used to be a settlement of shepherds in the area. When the Turks arrived in Cyprus in 1570, they attacked the village with stone missiles, destroying it, along with the chapel. Those who escaped, sought shelter in Limbia. The day when the Saint Marina chapel was destroyed was Tuesday, and since then the area has been called “Kakotriti” (kakos meaning bad and Triti meaning Tuesday in Greek). The approximately 1,300 inhabitants of Mosfiloti are occupied in agriculture and livestock farming. As a matter of fact, a livestock farm has been established in the area and a few livestock farmers have moved there. Next to it there is also a large quarry for the treatment of concrete and an asphalt processing site due to the mineral wealth of the area.