Kritou Terra, the village of water on Laona

Kritou Terra is tiny, but it packs in more history per square metre than many big villages. Water everywhere, watermills, medieval churches and a casino where a king is said to have played. Here’s what to see. For context, see Paphos district.

A village between three hills

The Pafos tourism board places it 29 km from Paphos, tucked between three hills and looking out over the Gulf of Chrysochou. Its village page gives an altitude of 570 m and its rural villages page 465 m. It had 68 residents in 2021. The name joins Erotokritos, said to be its first settler and lord, and terra, Latin for land, added in Frankish times when it became a fief.

It was the island’s second village for watermills, with fifteen, and the first in the district, perhaps in Cyprus, to have its own school, in 1796. Figures such as Archbishop Damaskinos came from here, and the family of the dragoman Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios spent their summers in a large mansion in the village.

What to see in Kritou Terra

At the entrance stands Kefalovryso, the stone spring of 1908, once the third largest in Cyprus by volume. Its six carved spouts still flow, and in its day it watered the orchards, drove four of the fifteen mills and filled the troughs of the communal laundry. The small village museum shows how life was lived here and keeps the carved wooden door from Archbishop Damaskinos’s house.

The Kremmiotis river, one of four crossing the village land, drove another four mills and today forms a waterfall among thick vegetation, a haven for many birds. The tourism board says thousands of people visit it every year. Since 1995 the old school has also housed an environmental studies centre that welcomes thousands of pupils.

There are more than 17 churches, chapels and ancient remains. The standout is Agia Aikaterini Fytefkia, from the 15th century, with domes, arches and a simple aesthetic that inspired the architects of the Anassa hotel. The other two key churches are Panagia Chryseleousa, built by the dragoman Kornesios in 1804, and 12th-century Agia Paraskevi, with Armenian influences.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Polis for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

The casino

One of the first casinos in Cyprus operated in Kritou Terra, in a two-storey stone building that was also a venue for parties. It drew wealthy clients from neighbouring villages, the rest of the island and abroad, and King Farouk of Egypt is believed to have come often. Under the balcony you can still read the gamblers’ debts, written in pencil. The board’s pages disagree on the date, some putting it at 1880 and others between 1860 and 1870.

Getting there

Pafos Buses route 641 calls at Kritou Terra between Polis and Paphos, twice each way every day but Sunday. Close by are Drouseia and the coast at Polis Chrysochous.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Polis on GetYourGuide.

If you would rather go at your own pace, see the car hire deals in Polis: the earlier you book, the more cars are left to choose from.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Polis for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.