Emba
Encyclopedia
Emba is one of the largest villages in Paphos
, Cyprus
. It is spread over a wide area and not only borders Paphos but also the villages of Chlorakas
, Kissonerga
, Tala
, Tremithousa
and Mesogi
. It has a population of 4,500 people.
The village already existed by the Byzantine
era and it is known from the Frankish
period with the same name. The 15th century Cypriot historian Leontios Machairas in his Chronicle, par. 129, mentions a visit of the King of Cyprus, Peter I
(1359–1369), quoting "...and the king went hunting and reached Emba towards Paphos...".
Louis de Mas Latrie includes the village both amongst those that belonged to the family of the king of Cyprus during the period of Frankish rule, and as one of the king's villages that cultivated sugarcane
. Since 1468 the village has fallen fell under the region of Chrysochous, under the regional law officer (bailliage).
The appellation of the village is purely Greek
, belonging to the Cypriot dialect. In this dialect Emba means "enter". It is possible that the name of the village was given because it is built at the entrance of Paphos, that is the edges of the city, through which the travellers from the north, northwest and west came in. Another version mentions that the name was given to the village because it is situated near the coast from where people departed from or arrived to Cyprus by sea, during the Byzantine era or even later during the period of Frankish rule. It is mentioned that King Peter I departed for Europe from the area in 1362. The village is noted as 'Emba' in medieval maps.
In the community you can find the ancient church of Panayia Chryseleoussis. Built in the 12th Century in Byzantine Rhythm, it literally embellishes the village square. Almost all the walls in the interior of the church are covered with mural
s. Certain of them are priceless for their religious and historical value, such as that of Pantokratoros and that of Saint George
that are next to the pulpit
and which date from around the 13th century. Also to be appreciated is the fretwork
ed gold plated iconostasis
from the 16th of century which is adorned with ancient pictures of Jesus
, the Virgin Mary and Saint John Precursor
. In the church is also found a gospel
from the 16th century, which was printed in Venice
. Thousands of tourists visit the church each year to admire its architecture and the wonders it contains.
There are also a number of chapels in Emba such as the Byzantine chapel decicated to Saint George (in the vicinity of Petridia
),the cave chapel of Saint Limbros (also at Petridia), and the new chapel dedicated to Saint Charalambos. At Petridia in former times there was also the church of Saint Akakios built on land which was a dependancy of the Monastery of Stavros at the village of Omodos. The other chapels of Emba now in ruins are the following: the Chapel of Saint Eleftherios, the Chapel of All Saints
(Ayioi Pantes), the Chapel of Timios Prodromos, the Chapel of Saint Sofronios, the Chapel of Saint Mercurios, the Chapel of the Five Saints (Ayioi Pente): Efstratios, Afxentios, Evgenios, Mardarios, Orestis), the Chapel of Saint Paraskevi
and the Cave of Saint Kournoutas at Petridia.
Recently a new church was constructed near the old one; it was dedicated to the apostle Andreas (St. Andrew) and on his name day, 30 November, a religious festival is held on the church grounds. Apart from this very new church there are also many small chapels scattered around the rest of the village.
Emba has a few shops and taverna
s dotted along the narrow winding road that runs through the village. In the evening the local men can be seen sitting outside their local and often spilling out onto the narrow roads on their wooden chairs.
Outstanding personalities of the village of Emba include the Bishop Anthimos of Irinoupolis (situated then in the Middle East
) who was born at the village of Emba and died in 1791, Nikolas Solomonides who was the private secretary of the Dragoman of Cyprus Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios,but also a poet and an intellectual, his brother Andreas Solomonides who was a nobleman and was employed at the Ottoman Court (seraglio
) in Nicosia and thus saved the church of Emba from being destroyed by the Ottomans, but also the villagers of Emba from paying taxes to them after 1821. They both lived during the end of the 18th century and early 19th century. Another outstanding personality from Emba was Father Christodoulos (1816), a great priest of the village.
Paphos
Paphos , sometimes referred to as Pafos, is a coastal city in the southwest of Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos and New Paphos. The currently inhabited city is New Paphos. It lies on the Mediterranean coast, about west of the...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. It is spread over a wide area and not only borders Paphos but also the villages of Chlorakas
Chlorakas
Chlorakas is a town in the Paphos District of Cyprus, located 3 km north of Paphos. The town is host to Akritas Chlorakas a Cypriot Second Division football team....
, Kissonerga
Kissonerga
Kissonerga is a village in South West Cyprus, about 5 miles north of Paphos, in a region notable for the cultivation of banana plantations, an area known as the Ktima Lowlands. In 1980 the population of the village was 700 people....
, Tala
Tala, Paphos
Tala is a large suburban village 6 km due north of the city centre of Paphos, Cyprus. Many non-Cypriots have moved here permanently or have a summer home in Tala. Ayios Neofytos Monastery is 1 km north....
, Tremithousa
Tremithousa
Tremithousa is a village in the Paphos District of Cyprus, located 1 km west of Mesogi....
and Mesogi
Mesogi
Mesogi is a village in the Paphos District of Cyprus, located 5 km north of Paphos....
. It has a population of 4,500 people.
The village already existed by the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
era and it is known from the Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
period with the same name. The 15th century Cypriot historian Leontios Machairas in his Chronicle, par. 129, mentions a visit of the King of Cyprus, Peter I
Peter I of Cyprus
Peter I of Cyprus or Pierre I de Lusignan was King of Cyprus, and Titular King of Jerusalem from his father's abdication on 24 November 1358 until his own death in 1369. He was also Latin King of Armenia from either 1361 or 1368...
(1359–1369), quoting "...and the king went hunting and reached Emba towards Paphos...".
Louis de Mas Latrie includes the village both amongst those that belonged to the family of the king of Cyprus during the period of Frankish rule, and as one of the king's villages that cultivated sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
. Since 1468 the village has fallen fell under the region of Chrysochous, under the regional law officer (bailliage).
The appellation of the village is purely Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, belonging to the Cypriot dialect. In this dialect Emba means "enter". It is possible that the name of the village was given because it is built at the entrance of Paphos, that is the edges of the city, through which the travellers from the north, northwest and west came in. Another version mentions that the name was given to the village because it is situated near the coast from where people departed from or arrived to Cyprus by sea, during the Byzantine era or even later during the period of Frankish rule. It is mentioned that King Peter I departed for Europe from the area in 1362. The village is noted as 'Emba' in medieval maps.
In the community you can find the ancient church of Panayia Chryseleoussis. Built in the 12th Century in Byzantine Rhythm, it literally embellishes the village square. Almost all the walls in the interior of the church are covered with mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
s. Certain of them are priceless for their religious and historical value, such as that of Pantokratoros and that of Saint George
Saint George
Saint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
that are next to the pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
and which date from around the 13th century. Also to be appreciated is the fretwork
Fretwork
Fretwork is an interlaced decorative design that is either carved in low relief on a solid background, or cut out with a fretsaw, coping saw, jigsaw or scroll saw. Most fretwork patterns are geometric in design. The materials most commonly used are wood and metal. Fretwork is used to adorn...
ed gold plated iconostasis
Iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church...
from the 16th of century which is adorned with ancient pictures of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, the Virgin Mary and Saint John Precursor
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
. In the church is also found a gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
from the 16th century, which was printed in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. Thousands of tourists visit the church each year to admire its architecture and the wonders it contains.
There are also a number of chapels in Emba such as the Byzantine chapel decicated to Saint George (in the vicinity of Petridia
Petridia
Petridia is a genus of moths belonging to the Tortricidae family.-External links:*...
),the cave chapel of Saint Limbros (also at Petridia), and the new chapel dedicated to Saint Charalambos. At Petridia in former times there was also the church of Saint Akakios built on land which was a dependancy of the Monastery of Stavros at the village of Omodos. The other chapels of Emba now in ruins are the following: the Chapel of Saint Eleftherios, the Chapel of All Saints
All Saints
All Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown...
(Ayioi Pantes), the Chapel of Timios Prodromos, the Chapel of Saint Sofronios, the Chapel of Saint Mercurios, the Chapel of the Five Saints (Ayioi Pente): Efstratios, Afxentios, Evgenios, Mardarios, Orestis), the Chapel of Saint Paraskevi
Saint Paraskevi
Saint Paraskevi , literally "Preparation" as the day of preparation for Sabbath, "Friday") can refer to several saints ....
and the Cave of Saint Kournoutas at Petridia.
Recently a new church was constructed near the old one; it was dedicated to the apostle Andreas (St. Andrew) and on his name day, 30 November, a religious festival is held on the church grounds. Apart from this very new church there are also many small chapels scattered around the rest of the village.
Emba has a few shops and taverna
Taverna
Taverna refers to a small restaurant serving Greek cuisine, not to be confused with "tavern". The Greek word is ταβέρνα and is originally derived from the Latin word taberna...
s dotted along the narrow winding road that runs through the village. In the evening the local men can be seen sitting outside their local and often spilling out onto the narrow roads on their wooden chairs.
Outstanding personalities of the village of Emba include the Bishop Anthimos of Irinoupolis (situated then in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
) who was born at the village of Emba and died in 1791, Nikolas Solomonides who was the private secretary of the Dragoman of Cyprus Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios,but also a poet and an intellectual, his brother Andreas Solomonides who was a nobleman and was employed at the Ottoman Court (seraglio
Seraglio
A seraglio or serail is the sequestered living quarters used by wives and concubines in a Turkish household. The word comes from an Italian variant of Turkish saray, from Persian sarai , meaning palace, or the enclosed courts for the wives and concubines of the harem of a house or palace...
) in Nicosia and thus saved the church of Emba from being destroyed by the Ottomans, but also the villagers of Emba from paying taxes to them after 1821. They both lived during the end of the 18th century and early 19th century. Another outstanding personality from Emba was Father Christodoulos (1816), a great priest of the village.