The village called Moni is found a few kilometres east of the ancient settlement of Amathounta in Limassol. It is found built on a small hill from which the visitor may have a smooth view of the sea. We do not know a lot about the history and the name of the village. The name “Moni” makes you think of a monastery. Residents told us that many years ago, there was a monastery in the area. There is no evidence to confirm this.
At a small distance from it, there is a village called “Monagroulli” where the monks of the Agios Georgios Alamanos Monastery cultivated their foods during the first years it was founded. It is possible that they had built a small department nearby in order to avoid daily come and go’s to and from the monastery itself.
The visitor that decides to visit the village of Moni, should be firstly informed about its recent history. If he does not know some things then it is sure that he will be disappointed. The village itself has nothing to offer. There is no smoothness in the construction of new houses like in other small traditional villages in Cyprus, where there is a centre of the old village with a certain architectural style in place, whereas all around it there is an evolution with a clear architectural orientation.
Nevertheless this does not happen in Moni. The old village has almost disappeared and “disorderly” constructions have taken its place. There are no squares with paved roads and no worthwhile works that promote the local culture and history. The only parts that have a National and Religious interest are the church of Agia Zoni and the monument in honour of the National Hero of the community and of Cyprus, the fifteen-year-old soldier of the period, Costakis Panagiotou Tringi, that fell while fighting for his country in 1974, found next to it.
Many years ago, Moni was a quiet and beautiful village, “drowning” in green. Its few residents dealt mostly with agriculture and livestock. Many English people chose Moni as a permanent residence after independence, and this was not at all irrelevant to its beneficiary geographical position. There were natural sources that gave potable water all year round in the village, creating a green valley that started from the village and ended up in the sea. From 1974 onwards, everything changed. Successive governments placed huge enterprises in the area of Moni that downgraded the quality of life of people and the variety of vegetation.
At times, compensatory measures were given to Moni, which we did not see during our visit. If they are talking about the few thousand euros for the configuration of a small amphitheatre and a small park for children, then they really fooled the settlers. With the creation of these enterprises, the settlers abandoned their fields and became workers there. This is how Moni lost its orientation and became what we see it to be today.
