Lofou Village

Lofou is 26 kilometers northwest of Limassol in the “ampelochoria” between Limassol and Paphos.

Lofou is a circular town on hills at 780 meters with an annual rainfall of 650 cm. Narrow, steep mountains surround it. Two canals of “Kryos” and “Kouris,” both from “Kouris,” split the countryside.

Asphalted roads link Lofou to adjacent settlements. It is connected to “Pera Pedi” village in the north (6.5 km) and “Saint Therapon” village in the southwest (4.5 km). The southeast was connected to “Alassa” village. Flooded by “Kouris” weir, the community was rebuilt elsewhere. Lofou is connected to Sylikou, Monagri, and Doros from the east.

Limassol-to-village takes 25 minutes today. Visitors may reach the settlement in 15 minutes by driving up the main road to Platres and turning left after Alassa village.

The community is named for its hilltop location amid mountains. The Greek word “lofos”—meaning “hill”—inspired Lofou. The village was once called “Lofos” in the early 20th century. Simos Menandros (1970) suggests that the village’s renaming from “Lofos” to “Lofou” was due to a change in local farmers’ vernacular. Morphological changes made “Lofou” feminine. The village is commonly known as “Lofou.” No historical evidence exists to determine when “Lofou” was founded. The Bronze Age must have occupied the area. The village’s old pots can confirm this.

The majority believe the settlement was formed before the Franks seized Cyprus in the late 12th century. The Arab attacks led the people to flee to the island’s interior. Since the community was concealed in the mountains, it provided protection and was perfect for their purposes.

The settlement was first mentioned in writing in Frankish Cyprus. In a medieval handwritten document by Leontios Machairas, King Jacob I (1382-1398) of Cyprus gave Lofou and other villages to his brother Janot de Luzinian, Lord of Beirut. Lofou was listed as a king of Cyprus hamlet in a late 15th-century Venetian handwritten writing provided by Mas Latri (1861). Mas Latri calls the village “Lofou”.

Historical records show that shepherds from “Finika” herded their flocks as far as the village’s current position. They slept in a nearby cave. Lofou’s original residences were farms in the valley. Shepherds built “stiathkia” shelters and later stone buildings with wood and mud or clay roofs (Porakos, 2004).

The village was known as “Lofos” during Ottoman administration (Papadopoulos, 1965). T. Papadopoulos (1965, p. 208) said that Lofou had only Greek Cypriots in 1832. Mas Latri further notes that the 1862 census showed the community had more than 200 people. In 1855, an organized primary school began, and the Lofou church was built during the end of Ottoman rule.

British domination turned Lofou into a massive vineyard. Vine planting transformed the village. The vines blooming on the well-built and maintained terraces was breathtaking. Locals grew wheat and locust trees.

Lofou and Cyprus suffered an economic and political disaster in the following decade. Farmers’ lives became very difficult, even intolerable, during this time. Since they couldn’t borrow money, residents sold their homes at unrealistically low prices. Political tensions increased in Lofou and Cyprus. Cyprus failed to unite with Greece. The British Government declined their request, disappointing the public and inflaming politics.

It is widely believed that Lofou residents created Ypsonas, one of Limassol district’s main settlements, in the 19th century. This assumption is false. Ypsonas was settled in medieval times and inhabited by Lofou circa 1770. Ypsonas had few residents until the early 1900s. Lofou farmers began moving permanently to Ypsonas. During British rule in Cyprus, Lofou lost inhabitants to Ypsonas. After the First and Second World Wars, Ypsonas’ population soared while Lofou’s plummeted.

The Cyprus Republic’s years confirm that Ypsonas’ population increase and Lofou’s decline are final developments. 1946–1986 was a “blessing and a curse” for Lofou. “Curse” because the community was abandoned and its occupants lost their vibrancy. As a remarkable example of a typical Cypriot village in the countryside, the village remained intact during that period. We can admire magnificent historic architecture today.

The village’s spirit began with Lofou Association’s foundation in 1987. Lofou Association also wants to strengthen Lofitians’ and friends’ friendship, brotherhood, cooperation, and understanding. The village’s efforts to restore and maintain private and public structures may be most essential. The Department of Urban Planning encourages house restoration and gives financial assistance as part of a larger village rehabilitation effort. The entire historic village is in a special zone where houses must be conserved or built to strict standards. Today, the village’s restored houses with their beautiful wooden balconies, narrow cobblestone streets, neoclassical school, magnificent church, traditional olive and flour mill in the rural museum, taps and cisterns, and many other small beautiful details attract visitors and each one of us. The “Palouze Festival” on the last Sunday of September, the remembrance of Lofou’s hero “Ioannis Stavrianos,” and the Virgin Mary’s feast on March 25 draw large crowds to the village. Finally, the village’s two historic taverns, the newly built hotel, and other old buildings may offer visitors typical Cypriot hospitality.

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