Omodos

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Omodos
Όμοδος
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Omodos (Cyprus)
Bluedot.svg
Basic data
State : Cyprus RepublicRepublic of Cyprus Cyprus
District : Limassol
Geographic coordinates : 34 ° 51 ′  N , 32 ° 48 ′  E Coordinates: 34 ° 51 ′  N , 32 ° 48 ′  E
Height above d. M .: 810  m
Residents : 311 (2001)
LAU-1 code no .: CY-02
Website: www.omodos.org
View of Omodos
View of Omodos
Omodos - view from the south

Omodos (Greek Όμοδος) is a village in the Limassol district with 311 inhabitants in the Troodos Mountains on the island of Cyprus .

history

Today's Omodos was founded in the Byzantine era . There are several versions of the interpretation of the place name: Omodos is said to be named after the most pleasant one, from the Greek word “modos”, which means “take your time”. However, it is more likely that it was named after the feudal lord Homodeus , who lived here in the region, mentioned in Franconian documents .

Geography and inhabitants

Omodos is located about 42 km northwest of the port city of Limassol on the southern slope of the Troodos Mountains at 810 m above sea level and has an annual rainfall of 760 mm. The livelihood of the inhabitants is mainly the cultivation of wine, apples, pears, plums, peaches and apricots. Omodos is particularly famous for its viticulture. International tourist guides refer to Omodos as "the" wine village of Cyprus. Accordingly, the place is frequented by many tourists and offers an alternative source of income for its residents. Restaurants and souvenir shops in the center of the village bear witness to this development.

Heiligkreuz monastery church

Interior of the Holy Cross Church with iconostasis

In the center of the village is the monastery church Timiou Stavrou (German: "Heiligkreuz") , which was rebuilt in the 19th century . Its foundation goes back to the 4th century. The interior is dominated by a magnificent gilded iconostasis from the 18th century. According to tradition, a splinter from the cross of Jesus and a skull relic of the apostle Philip are kept in the church. There are several museums in the monastery: the Museum of Byzantine Art , the Museum of Folk Art and an exhibition documenting the Cypriots' struggle for freedom against the British after World War II up to independence in 1960.

Worth seeing

Center (“Platia”) of Omodos
Typical alleys in Omodos
  • Socrates House and Nikos House : These two wine-growing houses can be visited. There is embroidery and old furniture here. Home -distilled Zivania brandy and honey can be purchased in a shop .
  • Linos House : Here you can see wine-growing equipment and a heavy wine press that was in service until a few years ago.
  • A large wine festival is celebrated in Omodos every year in August.

Sons and daughters

  • John Modinos (1927-2011), Cypriot baritone
  • Polys Modinos (1899–1988), Chancellor of the European Court of Human Rights

Web links

Commons : Omodos  - collection of images, videos and audio files