Kampia: The History of the Old Settlement

If you are considering Kampia as a travel destination, its local history offers connections to the former village and a subject from the wider surrounding area. For a clear understanding, it is worth keeping the two separate: the original settlement lay west of the present-day village, while the region’s mining history is associated with Kapedes. Between them are religious, architectural and occupational accounts from different periods.

The Old Settlement and Its Church

The original settlement of Kampia lay west of the present-day village in the valley of the Pediou River. The Church of St. George is the only surviving building of the old settlement. This provides a concrete architectural point of reference for understanding the history of the former village, without equating the old settlement site with the present-day village. For travellers interested in settlement history, this distinction in location is important: the river valley and direction describe the former site, while the church is its surviving building.

Kyprianos and Historical Endowments

According to some accounts, Archbishop Kyprianos was born in Kampia in 1756. In 1818, he funded the construction of a village fountain in Kampia. These two dates refer to different events: the birth reported in some accounts and the funding of the fountain’s construction. Kyprianos also donated a bell to the old Church of St. George. He also donated an icon of Saint Tryphon, described as the patron saint of agriculture, to counter a locust plague.

Village Occupations and Mining in the Surrounding Area

Basket weaving was a common occupation in Kampia in the early 20th century. This detail adds the history of local work to the religious and architectural themes. In the wider region around Kampia, west of the village and near Kapedes, copper and pyrite were once mined on a large scale. In its mining operations near Kapedes, the Hellenic Mining Company used small trains to transport earth to the surface. Thus, two different scales sit side by side: a common village occupation and a mining operation in the wider area.

Location and Regional Perspective

Kampia lies on the road between Nicosia and Kapedes. This reference to the road adds geographical orientation to the history, but answers a different question than the location of the old settlement in the valley of the Pediou River. The road reference concerns Kampia; the description of the valley concerns the former settlement site. The mining history, in turn, points to the wider area west of the village near Kapedes. When choosing your destination, you can therefore distinguish local history from regional history: the former village and basket weaving relate to Kampia, while the ore mining relates to the surrounding area.

These historical references span the birth said in some accounts to have taken place in Kampia in 1756, the construction of the fountain in 1818, and basket weaving as a common occupation in the early 20th century. Together with the geographical distinction between the village and the mining area, they provide a clear perspective for planning your trip: you can distinguish between Kampia’s own history and the region’s past near Kapedes.

Discover more destinations: Aglantzia, Ghaziveran, Kalopanayiotis, Klirou, Phicardou, Tseri, Pachyammos, Kakopetria.

For the main travel overview: Nicosia.