Exploring Polemi Village in CYPRUS

Exploring Polemi Village in CYPRUS

Polemi (Greek: Πολέμι) is a village in the Paphos District of Cyprus.

The village is located within the rolling landscape of the Paphos hills at an altitude of 463 metres (1,519 ft) above sea level. It receives an average annual rainfall of about 637 millimeters. polemi lies 4 km north of Letymvou and 3 km east of Stroumbi, off the main B7 Paphos to Polis (Polis Chrysochous) road. The majority of the houses of Polemi stand on a plateau overlooking its associated farmland in the valleys on each side, where its boundaries meet those of neighbouring villages in the lower lying land. Polemi has a mild climate with temperatures generally cooler at all times than in the coastal areas of Paphos. The village stands at the point between several watersheds with valleys falling southwest towards Mavrokolympos, north towards Chrysochou Bay and also south east.

Polemi has historically been a relatively large village by local standards and this has resulted in the amenities present there today. There is a bank, shops, restaurants and several cafes in the village.

The foundation of Polemi and its naming is uncertain. There has most probably been a settlement of Greek speaking people here by this name since the Byzantine era. The name Polemi can be translated as meaning 'warriors' village'; with πόλεμος (polemos) meaning battle in Ancient Greek, πολέμιος (polemios) translating from modern Greek into English as 'adversary' or 'foe', and πολεμικό (polemiko) meaning 'war like'. Some locals believe the name of the village is rooted in the settlement of a division of former soldiers from the Byzantine army in the middle ages or previously.

The village is laid out on a network of streets with a mix of older houses built from the local white limestone and newer constructions from the later 20th Century and 21st century. The village was traditionally made up of a series of related hamlets rather than one single village around a core, though it has progressively concentrated around the church of Παναγία Χρυσελεούσα Panagia Chryseleousa (the Virgin Mary of mercy). Another core of older dwellings can be seen close to the chapel of Prophitis Ilias (Prophet Elijah) at Matsima in the west of the plateau. There was another hamlet named Ayios Giorgios (Saint George) in the lower lands to the west of the village. A small chapel of the same name still stands in this area amongst olive groves and has been restored in recent years.