Agia Varvara ( gr, Αγία Βαρβάρα) is a village located in the

Nicosia District Nicosia District (Greek: Eπαρχία Λευκωσίας) is one of the six districts of Cyprus. Its main town is the island country's capital city, Nicosia. The TRNC-controlled northern part of the district is the Lefkoşa District of the ...

of Cyprus. ''Agia'' is the Greek word for "Saint" .The village is named after Saint Varvara or

Saint Barbara Saint Barbara ( grc, Ἁγία Βαρβάρα; cop, Ϯⲁⲅⲓⲁ Ⲃⲁⲣⲃⲁⲣⲁ; ; ), known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an Early Christianity, early Christian Lebanese and Greek saint and martyr. Acc ...

. The village is located 22 km south from

Nicosia Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...

and is at an altitude of 311 meters. The village is known for its many cultivated and barren pieces of land. The hosts the Church of Agia Varvara, the Chapel of Agia Paraskevi, Chapel of

Agios ''Agios'' ( el, Άγιος), plural ''Agioi'' (), transcribes masculine gender Greek words meaning 'sacred' or 'saint' (for example Agios Dimitrios, Agioi Anargyroi). It is frequently shortened in colloquial language to ''Ai'' (for example Ai Str ...

Nektarios and the Chapel of Holy Cross.

Economy

Residents of the village work primarily in agriculture and cultivate crops such as wheat, barley, and olives. Many residents commute to Nicosia to work as government employees, craftsmen and factory workers. The main product of cultivation is barley. The cultivation of barley is one of the main occupations. The systematic cultivation of yeast was recently initiated since

viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...

used to be their primary occupation. However, that was unprofitable and vineyards were replaced with barley or olive trees. Many plots of land were rented to professional farmers for the cultivation of barley. The cultivation of olive trees is limited in the village, as it mostly serves domestic needs. Many of the inhabitants produce oil for their own use. Phytorio (nursery garden) is a small mountain, where pine trees, cypresses and brigalows were planted. This area belongs to the Forest Department. The community council plans to construct a community park next to it. This park will include a playground, a playing field and a kiosk. During spring, blossoming almond trees add a pleasant note to the plain.

History

Earlier a village named Agios Georgeos (or Saint George) occupied this area. Around 1400 CE, the village church was burned down, leaving only the icon of Agia Varvara intact. The villagers rebuilt the Church near the previous one and dedicated it to Agia Varvara, renaming the village in the process. Historic caverns are found in the region, and it is believed that the larger catacombs were made by the first

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

.Agia Varvara website
/ref> During the time of the

Kingdom of Cyprus The Kingdom of Cyprus (french: Royaume de Chypre, la, Regnum Cypri) was a state that existed between 1192 and 1489. It was ruled by the French House of Lusignan. It comprised not only the island of Cyprus, but it also had a foothold on the Anat ...

, between 1192 and 1489, it was a

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...

, after which it came under Turkish rule, and 15-20 Turkish families settled in the village along with residents of

Nisou Nisou ( gr, Νήσου, tr, Dizdarköy) is a village in the Nicosia District of Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Penins ...

. Near Agia Varvara, the

archeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and ...

''Alymras'' was discovered in 1982. The site was used for copper production, which dates to 600

BCE Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the or ...

Notable people

Mihalis Violaris Michalis Kyriakou ( el, Μιχάλης Κυριάκου), known by his stage-name Michalis Violaris () (born 9 January 1944 Agia Varvara, Nicosia Cyprus), is a popular singer and composer of modern Greek and Cypriot music. He is also a pioneer ...

References

Communities in Nicosia District {{Cyprus-geo-stub