The Village of Vavla

The Journey through a video

We welcome you to today's article about the beautiful villages of our place. In our current excursion we are in the village of Vavla in the province of Larnaka. The village is built at a key point in Cyprus and it is a few kilometres from the three central cities, Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaka.

As we walk towards the village we were impressed by the cobbled, limestone streets of the village that give a note of beauty and take you on a journey into the architecture of another era.

We also noticed that there were fountains in each alley and it seems that the residents were quite advanced in the issue of water supply. The fountains were an integral part of the daily life of the villagers as they provided them with drinking water.

Proceeding to the village square we find the central church which is dedicated to Agios Georgios and it is a building of 1920 at the expense of Onisiforos Michailoudis. The view from the churchyard is unique as you look across the mountains and fill your lungs with fresh air.

Right next to the church there is the primary school with the beautiful front door and the imposing coat of arms, founded in 1888 by the benefactor of the place I mentioned above.

I was impressed by the front doors of the houses as they are coloured and give another shape to the houses making them look like a painting. But what saddened me a little is that I found them closed as astyphilia has deserted this village as well. There are of course holiday homes and agritourism accommodation but I wish that the young people would return to the village to give it life again.

Below the church we found a signpost that led to the old well in the Cypriot pit and a little further down the cave. It is about 5 minutes downhill on an easily paved stone path and worth a visit.

The well was built in 1917 for the water supply needs of the village and for the storage of water, Havouza, was built which was connected to the well by a stone groove and operated until 1925 where the fountains were created and unfortunately the well was deserted. In 2012, with funding from the European Union, it was restored and became a beautiful attraction.

We left the well behind us and found a little over the park that was recently built and has games for children, an amphitheatre and a coffee restaurant where you can drink your coffee and enjoy moments of carefree.

In the village there are 3 more chapels dedicated to the Archangel Michael, to Agios Minas, and to the Virgin of Love. A chapel unique in the world. After leaving behind the main square we headed west and found the chapel of the Archangel Michael who welcomes you as soon as you enter the village. It is a small old chapel that was unfortunately closed and according to information I read the unique iconostasis of the 16th century was destroyed in an attempt to restore.