Episkopi, Limassol
Encyclopedia
Episkopi is a village
lying partly in the Limassol
district of Cyprus
and partly in the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia
. It is approximately 14 kilometres to city of Limassol
and 40 kilometres east of Paphos
.
Episkopi is built on the hill of ancient Kourion
close to the west bank of the river Kouris.
of mixed population in the Limassol
district of Cyprus
. It is located approximately 14 kilometres west of the city ofLimassol
and 40 kilometres east of Paphos
, connected with them by a modern intercity highway. The greatest part of its area is included in the grounds of the British base of Akrotiri-Episkopi.
Episkopi is built on the foothill of ancient Kourion
with a fertile plain stretching to the south, at a height of 60 meters, close to the west bank of the river Kouris and overlooking Episkopi bay.
The archaeological findings in almost the entire area of the community, reveal that during ancient times Episkopi was connected to the city of Kourion. During the first centuries AD, Episkopi succeeded Kourion as a center of the region and a seat of bishops. The seat was removed during the Frank era (after 1222) when the Orthodox Episcopal seats of the island were reduced from 14 to 4.
Masse De Latri provides the information that in the 13th century Episkopi belonged to the aristocratic family of John D' Imbelin, Count of Giaffa. During the 14th and 15th century the village was known with the name of La Piscopia dei Cornari (The Cornaros' Episcopate) and belonged to the Cornaro
family from which the last Queen of Cyprus - Catherine Cornaro
- descended. The King of Cyprus Peter I gave the Episcopate to the Cornaro family as a gift.
The rainfall in the area comes up to about 460 millimeters. The main crops are vines (table and wine-making varieties), citrus crops (lemons, grapefruits), vegetables, legumes, forage plants, and cereals. In the past cotton was cultivated in the area and -in older times -sugarcane. The village has an advanced assembly of modern stock-breeding units. The developed cattle raising places the village fourth -in this sector -in the district of Limassol.
Industry is restricted to various small-size activities such as the clothing, carpentry, and shoe making.
The small distance between Episkopi and the city of Limassol, the employment opportunities in the British bases, the tourist attractions of its archaeological sites, and the rare natural beauty of the region, have contributed to the rapid development of the community, transforming it to a modern town with all the comforts that has nothing to envy from the other cities of Cyprus.
Today, Episkopi has at its disposal Medical services, Banks and Cooperative Credit Societies, Educational institutions and a regional High school, a nursing home, a four-star hotel, an Archaeological Museum, real estate agents, tourist units, restaurants, supermarkets, recreation centers, stadiums that can host various athletic events, a cinema, a travel agency, a regional police station, and several associations and organizations.
The structure of the population of Episkopi has undergone great changes. In 1881 it had 830 inhabitants and was the second most populous village of the Limassol district. In 1931 the inhabitants came up to 1000 and in 1960 to 1987. After 1964, because of the inter-communal unrest that followed the mutiny of the Turkish-Cypriots, the number of Turkish-Cypriot inhabitants of the community increased particularly; many of those that were settled in small communities within other villages of the Limassol district transferred to Episkopi, as well as in other villages, within the context of instructions by Ankara for the creation of Turkish strongholds in the island. After the Turkish invasion of 1974 and the occupation of the north part of Cyprus, the Turkish-Cypriot inhabitants of Episkopi abandoned their village and transferred, in January 1975, to the occupied part of Cyprus. Later on Greek-Cypriot refugees settled in the village, housed in refugee self-help settlements. In 1982 the inhabitants of the village along with the refugees numbered 2539, which places the village on the 8th position -in population terms- in the district of Limassol.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
lying partly in the Limassol
Limassol
Limassol is the second-largest city in Cyprus, with a population of 228,000 . It is the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island. The city is located on Akrotiri Bay, on the island's southern coast and it is the capital of Limassol District.Limassol is the...
district of 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...
and partly in the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia
Akrotiri and Dhekelia
The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia are two British-administered areas comprising a British Overseas Territory on the island of Cyprus administered as Sovereign Base Areas of the United Kingdom...
. It is approximately 14 kilometres to city of Limassol
Limassol
Limassol is the second-largest city in Cyprus, with a population of 228,000 . It is the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island. The city is located on Akrotiri Bay, on the island's southern coast and it is the capital of Limassol District.Limassol is the...
and 40 kilometres east of Paphos
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...
.
Episkopi is built on the hill of ancient Kourion
Kourion
Kourion , also Curias or Latin: Curium, was a city in Cyprus, which endured from antiquity until the early Middle Ages. Kourion is situated on the south shores of the island to the west of the river Lycus , 16 M. P. from Amathus. , and was recorded by numerous ancient authors including Ptolemy...
close to the west bank of the river Kouris.
Presentation
Episkopi is a villageVillage
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of mixed population in the Limassol
Limassol
Limassol is the second-largest city in Cyprus, with a population of 228,000 . It is the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island. The city is located on Akrotiri Bay, on the island's southern coast and it is the capital of Limassol District.Limassol is the...
district of 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 located approximately 14 kilometres west of the city ofLimassol
Limassol
Limassol is the second-largest city in Cyprus, with a population of 228,000 . It is the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island. The city is located on Akrotiri Bay, on the island's southern coast and it is the capital of Limassol District.Limassol is the...
and 40 kilometres east of Paphos
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...
, connected with them by a modern intercity highway. The greatest part of its area is included in the grounds of the British base of Akrotiri-Episkopi.
Episkopi is built on the foothill of ancient Kourion
Kourion
Kourion , also Curias or Latin: Curium, was a city in Cyprus, which endured from antiquity until the early Middle Ages. Kourion is situated on the south shores of the island to the west of the river Lycus , 16 M. P. from Amathus. , and was recorded by numerous ancient authors including Ptolemy...
with a fertile plain stretching to the south, at a height of 60 meters, close to the west bank of the river Kouris and overlooking Episkopi bay.
The archaeological findings in almost the entire area of the community, reveal that during ancient times Episkopi was connected to the city of Kourion. During the first centuries AD, Episkopi succeeded Kourion as a center of the region and a seat of bishops. The seat was removed during the Frank era (after 1222) when the Orthodox Episcopal seats of the island were reduced from 14 to 4.
Masse De Latri provides the information that in the 13th century Episkopi belonged to the aristocratic family of John D' Imbelin, Count of Giaffa. During the 14th and 15th century the village was known with the name of La Piscopia dei Cornari (The Cornaros' Episcopate) and belonged to the Cornaro
Cornaro
The Cornaro, also known as Corner, are an illustrious patrician family in Venice, from which for centuries senior office-holders and Doges sprung...
family from which the last Queen of Cyprus - Catherine Cornaro
Catherine Cornaro
Nobil Donna Catherine Cornaro was Queen of Cyprus from 1474 to 1489 and declared a "Daughter of Saint Mark" in order that Venice could claim control of Cyprus after the death of her husband, James II .-Family:She was born in Venice in 1454 and was the daughter of a well-known and powerful family of...
- descended. The King of Cyprus Peter I gave the Episcopate to the Cornaro family as a gift.
The rainfall in the area comes up to about 460 millimeters. The main crops are vines (table and wine-making varieties), citrus crops (lemons, grapefruits), vegetables, legumes, forage plants, and cereals. In the past cotton was cultivated in the area and -in older times -sugarcane. The village has an advanced assembly of modern stock-breeding units. The developed cattle raising places the village fourth -in this sector -in the district of Limassol.
Industry is restricted to various small-size activities such as the clothing, carpentry, and shoe making.
The small distance between Episkopi and the city of Limassol, the employment opportunities in the British bases, the tourist attractions of its archaeological sites, and the rare natural beauty of the region, have contributed to the rapid development of the community, transforming it to a modern town with all the comforts that has nothing to envy from the other cities of Cyprus.
Today, Episkopi has at its disposal Medical services, Banks and Cooperative Credit Societies, Educational institutions and a regional High school, a nursing home, a four-star hotel, an Archaeological Museum, real estate agents, tourist units, restaurants, supermarkets, recreation centers, stadiums that can host various athletic events, a cinema, a travel agency, a regional police station, and several associations and organizations.
The structure of the population of Episkopi has undergone great changes. In 1881 it had 830 inhabitants and was the second most populous village of the Limassol district. In 1931 the inhabitants came up to 1000 and in 1960 to 1987. After 1964, because of the inter-communal unrest that followed the mutiny of the Turkish-Cypriots, the number of Turkish-Cypriot inhabitants of the community increased particularly; many of those that were settled in small communities within other villages of the Limassol district transferred to Episkopi, as well as in other villages, within the context of instructions by Ankara for the creation of Turkish strongholds in the island. After the Turkish invasion of 1974 and the occupation of the north part of Cyprus, the Turkish-Cypriot inhabitants of Episkopi abandoned their village and transferred, in January 1975, to the occupied part of Cyprus. Later on Greek-Cypriot refugees settled in the village, housed in refugee self-help settlements. In 1982 the inhabitants of the village along with the refugees numbered 2539, which places the village on the 8th position -in population terms- in the district of Limassol.