Sia

Sia, located 30 kilometers south of Nicosia in the homonymous province of Cyprus, is situated about 30 kilometers from Larnaca, 50 kilometers from Limassol and almost 150 kilometers from Paphos.

At about 300 meters above sea level, the settlement of Sia is built along the shores of the tributaries of Tremithos river, creating fertile fields that produce all kinds of products. Olive trees cultivation, however, was and is one of the traditional occupations of the inhabitants of the community, as well as logging – mainly in the past – since the pine-covered semi-mountainous area is flooded with trees ideal for logging, and therefore many of the locals, in order to earn a living, provided wood to the lowland communities.

Today Sia counts about 600 permanent residents and is one of the developing communities in the region. Its key geographic position made it particularly popular for permanent residential buildings, but also because of its surroundings, for the construction of summer cottages by the residents of Larnaca and Nicosia.

Referred to in medieval sources as Sala, the original name of the settlement was never known. Most likely from the word osia, which means shadow, came the modern name of the settlement. Others, again, argue that the community was created in honor of an Osia (Saint), while the locals talk about the Arab raids (500-1,500 AD) when the village was situated upon the passage of the pirates, but hidden in a plain, with overgrown mountains around, and so the pirates never managed to find it, as it was – as they say characteristically – in a siasma (hideout), from which eventually the name Sia emerged.

In Sia there are scattered plenty of ancient ruins and graves, the existence of which proves that the settlement has been established since antiquity. Although there have been no systematic excavations in the area, the remains of the homes found a few kilometers north of the village were of Roman times, while the cave in the heart of the community, although not yet accessible to the public, proves the long history of the village and the defense methods it had developed against the pirates.

Anyone who visits Sia, after being welcomed by a verdant landscape of pine trees, olive trees and grain crops, in the center of the community he can visit the stone church of the village dedicated to the Virgin Mary Chryseleousa, built in 1886. There he will admire the golden icon of St. Anna that embraces the Virgin, one of the golden Gospels – of the four on the whole island, and a beautiful icon of Saint George, a fresco of the well-known hagiographer Filaretos. At the heart of the community there are also the offices of the Co-operative Credit Company and the Co-operative Grocery store, as well as other services, while beneath comes to view the picturesque settlement with the traditional houses. The village has a kindergarten and an elementary school, a community clinic, and other organized community ensembles such as the choir. The modern district of Sia is located in the southeast, while on a hill (outside the village) stands the chapel of Agii Constantine and Helen (of 1950), next to which the holy source of the Saints also flows. In addition, heading north of the community’s center, you can visit the gardens, the newly built chapel of Agios Prokopios (2 km away – in the center of the old community) and the medieval baths, as well as the excursion park of the Volunteers. Other ecclesiastical monuments of the settlement are the chapel of Agios Ioannis Spileotis (northeast of the community), and next to it a well-preserved cave, which the Saint himself dug. Above the cave there is the chapel of Agios Ioannis Theologos, built in 1985 at the expense of the community, as well as the chapel of Agia Irene of Chrysovalantos. From there, finally, one can reach the remains of the abandoned iron and copper mines, which were exploited by the Hellenic Mining Company until the 1980s, while to the north of this is the gravel quarry.

The village of Sia is adjacent to Mathiatis and the Alambra community.