Nisou Levkosias

Nisou of Nicosia is situated about 15 kilometers south of the homonymous capital of Cyprus in the region of Nicosia, about 68 kilometers from Limassol, 30 kilometers from Larnaca and 130 kilometers from Paphos.

Built on the northern bank of the Gialia river, Nisou Levkosias has always been a prominent place because of its fertile soil and its abundant waters.

In the past, the locals believed that their village looked like a small island, since it was surrounded on either side by the Yialia River, so the name of Nisou was established (nisos means island in Greek). The water of the river flowed with great momentum from the mountains of the Macheras forest and even divided the area into two parts, which eventually merge to the east.

Nisou Levkosias has a long history. According to archaeologists, the settlements situated around the ancient kingdom of Idalion had been already inhabited in the 17th century BC. On the other hand, the first official testimony of the village dates back to the first Christian centuries, as evidence by the excavation of the marble sarcophagus of the tomb of Saint Epaphra or Epaphrodite, who was one of the 70 disciples of Jesus and a Saint of the region. During the Frankish rule (1191 – 1489 AD), the settlement of Nisou was a royal feudal estate, while in the 13th century AD a Catholic church was founded in the area by the same nobleman who was in the possession of the village. Representatives of Knights Templar, medieval and other travelers and diplomats of the period passed through the settlement, while the Cypriot chronologist George Voustronios reported that the settlement was granted in 1460 AD. to the Nicosia’s landlord, Nicholas Morabit, to whom the surrounding areas were passed on as a gift. Operating as a seat, with a great economic and political role, the village of Nisou became a state farm during the Venetian occupation, and was later seized by the Turks (1570-1571). The name “Disdar”, as the Turks called Nisou back then, indicates that the village was probably a garrison of a large fiefdom, and many commodities, from cotton to potatoes, were produced there. The sources somewhere around that time, however, remain insufficient to accurately track who has been managing the territory and the changes it has undergone. The locals say that the owner of the fiefdom in 1821 was a priest, who was hanged during the events of July 9th of the same year in Nicosia, when the Turks hanged the then Archbishop of Cyprus, Kyprianos, and from 1821 until 1908, the land came to the hands of the French Consul who was known to the locals as Frangos or Vrangos. In the beginning of the 20th century, the settlement of Nisou Levkosias was mortgaged to a Nicosian bank, until the wealthy Keryneiotis Savvidis bought the land. However, when Cyrillus II was the Archbishop, he personally intervened and eventually transferring the “Frangos’ fiefdom” to the hands of twelve local owners.

Today, in the settlement one can visit several ecclesiastical monuments, such as the church of Agia Paraskevi, the newly built church of Agios Eftihios, located on a hill northeast of the community, as well as the catacombs where the Saint practiced asceticism. In addition, there are also the churches of the Holy Apostles (Peter and Paul), the chapel of Saint George Pigi, the “Kyparissi of Frangou”, and the Virgin Mary Chrysoperotza.

In the wider area (immediately after the nurseries), one of the six dams that exploit the waters of the Yialia river is located, while in the area there were many windmills, the grooves of which fed the arable land. In Nisou Levkosias there is also the National Guard’s military camp that ensures the safety of the settlement and the surrounding villages. Finally, in the village the traveler can visit the Museum of Folk Art and Traditional Architecture of Pera Chorio-Nisou, the old municipal community, the mosque of the village, or the community park.

Over the last decades, Pera Horio Levkosias and Nisou Levkosias (with approximately 1500 permanent residents) constitute a shared community, having the same visions of development and facing the same problems. The advantageous geographic location of this village helped both in its development and in dealing with the problem of urbanisation, with most locals remaining in the area and simply commuting to the bigger cities.

Nisou Levkosias is bordered by the village of Dali (Idalion), the settlement is where the bus station of Kryoneri is located, and in the wider area there are all kinds of shops.