Karpaseia
Encyclopedia
Karpasha is located 30km southwest of Kyrenia
, on the north it is the village of Myrtou
, west the village of Diorios
and south the village of Kampyli
. The village took its name from the Turkish
word “Kurp-Asia” which means near Asia.
Karpasha is the smallest village in population amongst the Maronite
villages. In 1778 there were 99 inhabitants whereas in 1973 they numbered 245. Today only eleven enclaved people remained in Karpasha, the remainder of Karpasha inhabitants became refugees.
The church in the village is dedicated to the Holy Cross. Inside the church there are remnants of wall paintings, whereas the icons are dated from the 17th century. There are also two ancient wooden crosses of great value: the one, purely Byzantine, is dated from the 15th century while the other, Cypriot-Byzantine rustic technocracy, is dated from the 17th century. The two crosses constitute one of the most important belongings of the Maronite community, which celebrates the protector of the village on September 14, the day on which St. Helen found the Holy Cross (14th September 320 A.C.).
Kyrenia
Kyrenia is a town on the northern coast of Cyprus, noted for its historic harbour and castle. Internationally recognised as part of the Republic of Cyprus, Kyrenia has been under Turkish control since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974...
, on the north it is the village of Myrtou
Myrtou
Myrtou is a town located in Cyprus, north of the city of Morphou....
, west the village of Diorios
Diorios
Diorios is a village in Kyrenia District, 2 km west of Myrtou....
and south the village of Kampyli
Kampyli
Kampyli is a small village in Kyrenia District located approximately 3 km east of Myrtou....
. The village took its name from the Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
word “Kurp-Asia” which means near Asia.
Karpasha is the smallest village in population amongst the Maronite
Maronites in Cyprus
The Maronites in Cyprus are members of the Maronite Church whose ancestors migrated from the Levant during the Middle Ages. They traditionally speak their own variety of Arabic in addition to Greek...
villages. In 1778 there were 99 inhabitants whereas in 1973 they numbered 245. Today only eleven enclaved people remained in Karpasha, the remainder of Karpasha inhabitants became refugees.
The church in the village is dedicated to the Holy Cross. Inside the church there are remnants of wall paintings, whereas the icons are dated from the 17th century. There are also two ancient wooden crosses of great value: the one, purely Byzantine, is dated from the 15th century while the other, Cypriot-Byzantine rustic technocracy, is dated from the 17th century. The two crosses constitute one of the most important belongings of the Maronite community, which celebrates the protector of the village on September 14, the day on which St. Helen found the Holy Cross (14th September 320 A.C.).