Musere

Musere is a village in the province of Paphos, situated 38 kilometers east of the homonymous city, 45 kilometers northwest of Limassol and 106 kilometers southwest of Nicosia.

Very close to Archimandrita, Prastio of Trachypedoula and Dora, Musere is built at an altitude of 550 meters and by the 1960s had about 70 inhabitants. At that time in the community thrived the cultivation of wine-making varieties, olive trees and livestock breeding, as there were many pastures in the area. Today, urbanization and the inability to find jobs in the small communities of Cyprus have led the young people to move to the big urban centers and desertify the area.

Musere probably has got its name from the Byzantine era and is associated with an Armenian colony established in the area. During the Byzantine Empire, it was a common practise to establish Armenian colonies that served Byzantium as mercenary soldiers and border guards and who were transferred to Cyprus in order to protect it from the Arabs and the raids of the time. Indeed, in the Middle Byzantine period, the Armenian general and ruler Alexios Musere (868-874) may have given his name to the community.

The most important attractions in the village are the main church dedicated to Timios Prodromos (Saint John the Baptist) and the chapel of Agia Sophia.