On the foot of the mountain peak of Papoutsa, in the periphery of Pitsilia, in the valley that is crossed by dozens of confluents of the big rivers of Amathos on the west and Vasiliko on the east, you will find the village of Eptagonia. It belongs to the district of Limassol and it is at 28 kilometres from the town.
If you observe Eptagonia from the mountain peak were Kellaki is found, you will notice that the village literally “drowns” in green. There are large areas of land covered in citrus trees, mainly mandarin trees. The settlers told us that the mandarins of Epagonia are the sweetest and tastiest of all, thus changing what we knew before, that the mandarin of Arakapas was on the top of the list.
But what is Eptagonia? To answer this question, we have to go back into time. Back to when the Order of the Knights Templar dominated in Cyprus and to the period when they created manors in protected from the pirates areas, that were good enough for food cultivation. Eptagonia had inexhaustible streams, fertile land and a perfect microclimate that allowed the cultivation of olive trees, and thus was one of their first choices. With the dissolution of the Order of the Knights Templar, Eptagonia passed on to the Knights Hospitaller.
It probably got its name from the seven corners that made up the first settlement built in the area. If you visit the community, you will be able to see the church of Agia Marina and the chapels of the Saints Photos and Anikitos, of Agios Georgios and of Agios Nikolaos.
Walk along the roads of the village and talk to the settlers. They are very friendly, simple and welcome people. Ask them about the history of their village and you will hear some very interesting things.
Ask to see the interior of the traditional houses that used to be old mansions. You shall see and learn how they built their houses so as to be protected from raids. They are built out of stones transferred from the rivers and their roofs are made of branches; they have a specific architecture.
Ask them to show you where the first olive trees planted by the Order of the Knights Templar are, as well as the old olive mill. Visit the community centre where the elementary school was.
If you are planning to visit Eptagonia, you will spend many pleasant hours of learning.
