Pera Chorio

Visit the large ancient bridge that connects Pera Chorio with the village of Nisou

Pera Chorio is located in the Nicosia District, almost in the center of Cyprus, built to the south of the Gialia River, adjacent to the Nisou community. It borders with Dali, Kotsiati, Alampra, Latsia, Tseri and Agia Varvara.

It consists of two communities, Nisou and Pera Chorio, which have separate self-government but a common Community Council, The Community Council.
Photo: Helen Nicodimou

Pera Chorio-Nisou:
The total population of the village is about 4,000 inhabitants, approximately 1,600 in Nisou and 2,400 in Pera Chorio.

The History:
The history of Pera Chorio and Nisou is indissolubly tied. In the old days the shepherds had their pens at the foot of Mount Ierakarka, over time they started to build their homes near their pens, and somehow the settlement of the area began to form.

During the Medieval years, Pera Chorio had as a metropolis Nisou, which shows even the interconnection of the two communities so far as well as their parallel historical evolution. Although in medieval sources there is no mention of Pera Chorio, G. Jeffry (1918 AD) considers that during the Middle Ages it is very likely that in the area lived a community, who were working in the great feud and the mansion of the Frankish nobility, lived there.
Photo: ΓΕΩΡΓΙΑ ΑΤΖΟΛΙΔΑΚΗ‎

It is worth mentioning that the area from the monastery of the Holy Apostles to the chapel of Agios Georgios is believed to have been an ancient settlement, as evidenced by the many "tombs" found in the area.

The inhabitants of Pera Chorio as well as Nisou participated in all the national struggles in the First and Second World War. In the EOKA struggle of 1955-1959 the village did not play an important role because of its terrain and the presence of a regional police station. However, there are 19 residents of Pera Chorio and Nisou registered in the "EOKA Fighters Register", who mainly dealt with the transport and concealment of weapons, ammunition and notices, and more rarely with sabotage.

After the events of 1963 and 1974, the village has rushed a number of refugees to find a roof and rebuild its life, so the self-housing refugees were set up to the southeast of the Pera Chorio community near Dali.
Photo: Helen Nicodimou‎

The name of the village:
The name of the village is due to its location. The village is "Pera (meaning beyond)" the river, and beyond the village of Nisou.
For this reason, today the village is called Pera Chorio - Nisou, which suggests the Reliable Relationship of the two Communities as mentioned above.

Churches and Attractions:
There are a large number of churches and chapels in the communities that testify to the intense religiousness of the people.

The Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior, the Church of Agia Paraskevi, the Church of Agia Marina, the Church of Agios Georgios Pigi, the Church and the tomb of Agios Eftychios, the Church of Panagia Tsampika, the Church of the Virgin Mary of Chrysoperotza.

For the parish of Pera Chorio, the Eparchies of the Holy Temple of the Transfiguration of the Savior and the Holy Church of Saint Marinis, are the Reverend Oikonomos Andreas Vorkas and the Elder Antonios Panayis. For the parish of Nisou, the Annunciation of the Holy Church of St. Paraskevi, is the Reverend Oikonomos Theodore Efthymiou.
Photo: Andri Andreou‎

Among the sights of Pera Chorio, a prominent place is the large ancient bridge that connects Pera Chorio with the village of Nisou.

For the map of the area, click HERE