The semi-mountainous village of Larnaca, Agioi Vavatsinias is found built on the northwest of the village Ora, at an altitude of about 700 metres. It is a small village and it has 130 residents.
In the location of the village, a certain tree thrives, and it has the name “Vavatsinia” (bramble tree), from which the village got its name. The word “Agioi” (Saints), came from the fact that Agioi Anargyroi (the Saints Anargyroi) Kosmas and Damianos passed from this area during their stay on the island. They walked and gave water to their horses at the point where the small chapel called “Agiasma Agion Anargyron” (The Holy water of the Saints Anargyroi) is found today.
The church with the beautiful architecture found in the community is dedicated to the two Saints. It is built on the southwest area of the village, in a reconstructed, small, paved square that matches perfectly with its environment. It was built of stone coming from the area and it has a gabled, vaulted roof.
In the small paved square where the church is found, there is an old water tap, dated in 1953 and the important is that it is one of the few that are still in use in Cyprus. The cultural centre “decorates” the south part of the square. A traditional coffee shop and a cafe-restaurant complete the beautiful image of the area.
The architecture of the village is mixed. The old houses built of stone and plinth and they coexist with construction out of concrete. It would be great if the old centre of the village kept its traditional architecture, as we can see in most of the semi-mountainous villages of Larnaca (Lefkara, Vavatsinia, Kato Drys, Vavla, Lagia, Ora etc.), and the new houses should follow rather the same architecture. Generally, there is an architectural “disorder”.
At the village’s entrance, if you are coming to it from Ora, you will see two very important monuments. The first one is the statue of a Hero of Cyprus and its Freedom, the 19 year-old Andreas G. Neocleous. The second one is dedicated to the musician and composer Manos Loizos, whose origins were from Agioi Vavatsinias.
Within the community you will find rural accommodations for your stay. After the creation of the dam in the area found southwest of the village, great areas of land were planted with fruit trees and at harvest periods, more hands than the village can offer are needed. If you find yourselves in the area, go downhill from the square of the church and walk among the fields. It will be a very beautiful experience.
Agioi Vavatsinias can be a very beautiful destination, such for single-day visits as well as several-day visits.
