Lagoudera, at the foot of Madari

Lagoudera is a small village with a huge church, at least in what it means. The obvious reason to come is Panagia tou Araka, but the village and its mountain offer more. I describe it with the Pitsilia villages page kept by ANETroodos, a hiking route from the Nicosia Tourism Board and the census.

At the foot of Madari

The company places Lagoudera at 1,000 metres on the slopes of Madari and counts it among the twenty highest villages on the island, with views of the peaks and plenty of wild vegetation. Its uncultivated land holds pine, golden oak, sumac, chamomile, hazelnut and wild roses. At the 2021 census it had 60 residents and it belongs to Nicosia district. Its history, according to the company, goes back to Frankish times.

Panagia tou Araka

The big reason to come is Panagia tou Araka, from the 12th century, which UNESCO protects within its painted churches property. Its late Comnenian frescoes were painted in 1192 and are, for the company, Cyprus’s fullest middle Byzantine cycle. You can visit from Tuesday to Sunday, from nine in the morning until half past five, and entry is free. It stands between Lagoudera and neighbouring Saranti.

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More than a church

The village also has a 16th-century church of Agios Georgios and the home of the local hero Michalakis Eleftherios, who fought in the 1955-1959 liberation struggle. They’re short visits, but they show that Lagoudera is more than the gateway to Araka, and they give a sense of how the village lived through the twentieth century.

Trails

From Araka a path runs to Stavros tou Agiasmati, the old monastery church that is also on the UNESCO list, about 8 kilometres away according to the Nicosia Tourism Board. Above the village rises Madari, with a lookout post at the very top and the Teisia tis Madaris loop, some 3 kilometres among cliffs with the Mesaoria and Morphou Bay in sight. The company also praises the views from Lagoudera itself, over mountain tops and wild vegetation.

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Neighbours with hazelnut trees

Close by lie Polystypos and Alona, which share a hazelnut wood with waymarked trails. On the other side of Madari sits Kyperounta, with its museums and the Doxa soi o Theos trail climbing the ridge to the lookout. On a clear day, the company promises views in every direction from that stretch, as far as the island’s central plain.

Fitting it into a trip

I’d reach Araka early, then wander the village and, depending on the weather and my legs, walk the trail to Stavros tou Agiasmati or climb Madari. For the night, Agros is the handiest base in Pitsilia.

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