Potamiou

Potamiou is a village of the district of Limassol in Cyprus and is located 38 km northeast of Limassol, 105 km west of Larnaca, 98 km southwest of Nicosia and 60 km east of Paphos.

A small settlement surrounded by mountains and a lot of vegetation at an altitude of 670 meters, Potamiou of about 30 residents is a picturesque wine village, popular for the architecture of its houses with tiled roofs, narrow upper floors with balconies and wooden doors. The area has calcareous soils, wine grapes and fruit trees, while people are involved with, except of the production of wine and zivania, also with the production of delicacies based on grape, such soutzoukos, palouzes and kiofterka. The village has existed since medieval times and during the Frankish rule it was a royal estate. Under the Venetians and during the first period of Ottoman rule (1570- 1571) Potamiou was a diocese. The name of the village is bound to its location (potami means river in Greek), namely, to the river that is to the west of the settlement, the so-called Cha river.

Travelers who will visit Potamiou will see many attractions related to nature and religious sites.

The Venetian bridge on the south side of the village was built during the Venetian rule to link the area with Vouni and Kilani that were the commercial and cultural centers of the time.

Most important, however, are the remains of the chapel of Agios Mnason, located on the southwest side of the village that dates back to the 3rd century AD. Inside the church, you can still see the double walls the church was constructed of, the three half-ruined arches and an underground tunnel, which according to locals was the escape route of the persecuted Christians of the time. Beneath the church are the catacombs and in one of them is kept the left arm of the Saint. According to tradition, the church was built on the spot where the saint lived at the time he was teaching Christianity around the Paphos area.

In the village can also be found the remains from other churches, while at the location of the ruins of the chapel of Agios Ioannis o Vaptistis (St. John the Baptist), was placed a prefabricated chapel, which was dedicated to the same saint. The main church of the community is located at the entrance of the village and is dedicated to Agia Marina (Saint Marina), a stone aisled Byzantine church with an octagonal dome built in the mid 16th century, namely in 1551.

In the churchyard is a monument dedicated to Charalambos Panayis, with the bronze bust in honor of the hero who participated in the liberation struggle of EOKA in 1955- 1959 against the British and was killed in the Turkish Cypriot pockets of Limassol during Turkish attacks.

Another important personality associated with the place was Neophytos Rodinos, a Greek scholar and novelist of the 17th century who was born in Potamiou and lived around the world, spreading the Roman Catholic Christianity.

In Potamiou there are small local businesses, a butcher’s, cafes and a traditional stone-built guesthouse that offers all modern comforts for those who want to extend their stay in the community.