Pano Deftera

Full of beautiful and admirable churches

Deftera is a village in Nicosia, 15 km from the capital. It is officially divided into two administrative communities: Pano Deftera and Kato Deftera. According to the 2011 census, Deftera had 4843 inhabitants overall.

Pano and Kato Deftera are built on the bank of the Pedieos River at an altitude of 300 meters above sea level. Pano Deftera today (2018) has approximately 1957 inhabitants, while Kato Deftera has 1637 inhabitants.
Photo: Antreas Constantinou

In the past years the inhabitants of the village have been engaged in the production of cereals, vegetables and fruits, mainly apricots. Today, few are the inhabitants of agriculture.

The name of the Village:
There are different version of how the village got its name. The first of these mentions that the name of the village comes from the name "Defteras" meaning in greek the man who holds note pads. The second version states that the name of the village comes from the Greek word "deuteri", which means the "second", for the second plowing of the fields.

The History of the Deftera:
During the period of the Frankish rule, Deftras was a feud of the Order of Knights Templar, and in 1312, after the dissolution of the Battalion, it became the possession of the knights of the Order of St. John. During the Venetian occupation, the Defteras was owned by the patriarch of Antioch with a total income of 600 ducats.

Deftera has been inhabited since ancient times, as evidenced by the findings of the Kato Deftera necropolis found in 1973, the findings of the Geometric era from 1050 to 750 B.C. and the findings of the Archaic years, 750 - 475 B.C.

Ancient tombs were also found in Pano Deftera.
Photo: Antreas Constantinou

Churches in Pano Deftera:
In Pano Deftera you will find several beautiful and admirable churches. The church of St. George is built in the central square. In its present form it was built between 1868-1875. It is a church that belongs to the type of single basilica.
Photo: Χάρης Χαραλάμπους

The church of Agios Spyridon is located at Agios Spyridonas Street in Pano Deftera and it is built on the banks of the Pedieou River. The cemetery of the church was first used in 1964.
Photo: Pambos Hps‎

It is worth mentioning that there are other churches in the village, such as the Church of Archangel Michael and Gabriel, Virgin Mary Chrysospiliotissa, the church of Agios Dimitrios, the church of Agios Nikolaos, the church of Agia Marina and the chapel of Apostle Louka.

For the map of the area, click HERE