Neo Chorio: Village History and Routes in Akamas

For travel planning, Neo Chorio can be divided into two geographical areas: in the village are the church of Agios Minas and the chapel of Agios Georgios; the one- and two-storey houses are also part of the village landscape. In the surrounding area are the Loutra tis Afroditis and the Smigies circular route. This distinction helps separate local history and architecture from landscape destinations. When choosing a destination for a hotel stay, you can weigh up whether the village itself or the surrounding natural landscape is more important to you.

Church, Chapel and Houses in the Village

The church of Agios Minas stands in the centre of Neo Chorio. Construction began in 1906 and was completed in 1912. Six years separate the start and completion of construction. Within the village, there is also the chapel of Agios Georgios. It was built around the end of the 17th or the beginning of the 18th century. The church and chapel thus represent different periods of construction in the same place: the chapel’s date is approximate, while the start and completion of the church’s construction are specified precisely. The community celebrates Agios Minas on 11 November. If you wish to plan your trip around this festival, check the current information about the celebration for your travel year.

The houses also offer concrete examples of the architectural forms found in Neo Chorio. They are one or two storeys high and built from local limestone and pebbles bonded with clay. On the two-storey houses, an external stone staircase leads to a wooden balcony. This allows the building height, materials and exterior structure to be considered together: in these houses, the stone masonry is complemented by an external staircase and balcony. The single-storey houses add a lower building form to the village landscape.

Landscape in the Surrounding Area

The Loutra tis Afroditis are about four kilometres northeast of Neo Chorio, outside the village centre. There, a paved path leads to a vertical rock from whose crevices water flows. A channel carries the water from the pool to the sea. The rock above the pool forms a densely vegetated cave, so the spring and pool remain in the shade. Water emerges from the rock crevices, collects in the pool and is carried to the sea through the channel. According to legend, Aphrodite bathed there after sleeping with her husband Hephaistos. The Loutra tis Afroditis thus bring together specific landscape features and a mythological story.

The Smigies circular route is also in the surrounding area, within the Akamas region. It starts at the Smigies picnic site, which is 2.5 kilometres from Neo Chorio. The short route is 2.5 kilometres long, and the long route is 6 kilometres long. The difference between the route lengths is 3.5 kilometres. Note the two different uses of the figure 2.5: it refers once to the distance of the picnic site from the village and once to the length of the short route. This helps distinguish the location of the starting point from the route length when planning your choice based on this information.

Discover more destinations: Agia Marina, Choletria, Anarita, Nikokleia, Tremithousa, Fyti, Kato Akourdaleia, Pentalia

For the main travel overview: Paphos.