Kythrea
Kythrea is located in Cyprus
Kythrea
Kythrea
Coordinates: 35°15′N 33°29′E / 35.250°N 33.483°E / 35.250; 33.483
Country (de jure) Cyprus
 • DistrictNicosia District
Country (de facto) Northern Cyprus[1]
 • DistrictLefkoşa District
Government
 • MayorAli Karavezirler (CTP)
 • Mayor-in-exilePetros M. Kareklas
Population
 (2011)[2][3]
 • Total3,284
 • Municipality
17,213[4]
WebsiteGreek Cypriot municipality (in exile)
Turkish Cypriot municipality

Kythrea (Greek: Κυθρέα or Κυθραία; Turkish: Değirmenlik) is a small town in Cyprus, 10 km northeast of Nicosia. Kythrea is under the de facto control of Northern Cyprus.

History

The larger-than-life bronze statue of Septimius Severus, found in Kythrea, now displayed in Cyprus Museum

Kythrea is situated near the ancient Greek city-kingdom of Chytroi, which was founded by Chytros, son of Alexander and grandson of the grandson of the Athenian King Akamas.[5] According to one tradition, the name Kythrea derives from Chytroi (Χύτροι > *Χυτρέα > Κυθρέα). According to another tradition, it derives from the name of the Greek Ionian island Kythera, from where millstones were transferred to Kythrea's watermills. In Delphic Theorodochoi inscription, one inscription mentions the Chytroi.[6]

The small town was watered for millennia by the Kefalovrysos spring; however, shortly after the 1974 Turkish invasion, the water stopped flowing. Other forms of the name include Chytri, Cythraia, Cythereia, Cythroi, Chytrides,[7] Chytros and Chytria.[8]

With the spread of Christianity in Cyprus, Chytroi became a bishopric. The first bishop, whose name is known is Pappus, is mentioned in the Life of Epiphanius of Salamis as having been bishop for 58 years of the "miserable town of Chytria", and as having died a martyr at some unspecified date, which must have been under either the pagan emperors Licinius or Maximinus II, or the Arian Constantius II. The acts of the Council of Chalcedon (451) show that Bishop Photinus was represented there by his deacon Dionysius, and those of the Second Council of Nicaea in 767 that Bishop Spyridon attended in person.[8][9]

Contemporary documents are lacking concerning Demetrianus, whom Henri Grégoire described as perhaps the most obscure of the local saints of Cyprus. The medieval Leontios Machairas is the earliest writer to make even a brief mention of his name. According to the oldest Life of Demetrianos, published in the 18th century, he became bishop in around 885, was captured by Arabs and taken to Egypt with many of his faithful, but by his prayers obtained the liberation of all.[10]

No longer a residential bishopric, Chytri is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see.[11]

Kythrea is a remarkable archaeological area. One outstanding statue discovered in the area is the bronze statue of Roman Emperor Septimius Severus, exhibited in the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia.[12]

In the Middle Ages, Kythrea hosted flourmills that belonged to the King of Cyprus, powered by its water springs. At the end of the 13th century, flour produced in the Kythrea mills provided the supply for the production of bread in the capital, Nicosia.[13]

The Kythrea municipality was established in 1915.

Administration

The town is administered by the Turkish Cypriot Municipality of Değirmenlik founded in 1975.[14] The current mayor is Ali Karavezirler from the Republican Turkish Party (CTP). He was elected to the post in 2018, garnering 54.1% of the votes.[15] He replaced Osman Işısal, the mayor elected in 2014 from the same party.[16]

Displaced inhabitants of Kythrea, now located in Nicosia and elsewhere, maintain a municipality in exile. It shares premises with the similarly-displaced municipality of Lapithos at 37 Ammochostou Street, Nicosia.

Demographics

After its Greek Cypriot inhabitants were displaced in August 1974, the town was repopulated by displaced Turkish Cypriots. The main origin of the Turkish Cypriots that settled in the town is the village of Alaminos, but inhabitants of many other villages were also relocated here. There are some Turkish people that have settled in the town as well, mostly hailing from the Mersin Province.[17]

Culture, sports and tourism

Prior to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Kythrea was the home of the football club AEK Kythreas. Değirmenlik Environment and Publicity Association was founded in 2008.[18] Değirmenlik Association of Culture and Arts is a non-governmental organization that is active in the town, and it annually organizes the Festival of Culture and Arts since 2009. The members of the association participate in festivals abroad. The Municipality of Değirmenlik has a folklore group that is open to children.[19]

Değirmenlik Sports Club was founded in 1975,[20][21] and now in Cyprus Turkish Football Association (CTFA) K-PET 1st League.[22] Kythrea's Sadik Cemil Football Stadium has "FIFA Recommended Star 2"-standard.[23]

The town is home to Değirmenlik High School.[24]

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Kythrea is twinned with:

References

  1. ↑ In 1983, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus unilaterally declared independence from the Republic of Cyprus. The de facto state is not recognised by any UN state except Turkey.
  2. ↑ "KKTC 2011 Nüfus ve Konut Sayımı" [TRNC 2011 Population and Housing Census] (PDF) (in Turkish). TRNC State Planning Organization. 6 August 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 November 2013.
  3. ↑ "K.K.T.C. POSTA DAİRESİ" [TRNC Postal Department] (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "Değirmenlik'te genç nüfus artıyor!" [The young population in Degirmenlik is increasing!] (in Turkish). Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  5. ↑ Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, Ch698.9
  6. ↑ Delphic Theorodochoi Inscription
  7. ↑ Sophrone Pétridès, "Chytri" in Catholic Encyclopedia (New York 1908)
  8. 1 2 Michel Lequien, Oriens christianus in quatuor Patriarchatus digestus, Paris 1740, Vol. II, coll. 1067-1070
  9. ↑ Raymond Janin, v. Chytri, in Dictionnaire d'Histoire et de Géographie ecclésiastiques, vol. XII, Paris 1953, col. 820
  10. ↑ Henri Grégoire, Saint Démétrianos, évêque de Chytri, in Byzantinische Zeitschrift 16 (1907), pp. 204–240
  11. ↑ Annuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1), p. 868
  12. ↑ N. G. L. Hammond; C. J. Gadd; I. E. S. Edwards (1970). The Cambridge ancient history (3 ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 540. ISBN 0-521-07051-1.
  13. ↑ Coureas, Nicholas (2005). "Economy". In Nicolaou-Konnari, Angel; Schabel, Chris (eds.). Cyprus: Society and Culture 1191-1374. BRILL. p. 118.
  14. ↑ Eastern Mesarya Area Archived 2014-12-30 at the Wayback Machine (EU Aid Programme for Turkish Cypriot Community) Retrieved on 30 December 2014.
  15. ↑ "İşte resmi olmayan sonuçlar". Yenidüzen. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  16. ↑ Değirmenlik'te Osman Işısal ipi göğüsledi (Kıbrıs Postası) retrieved on 30 December 2014.
  17. ↑ Kythrea Archived 2018-11-11 at the Wayback Machine (Prio Cyprus Centre) Retrieved on 30 December 2014.
  18. ↑ TRNC MEBNET Archived 2018-07-11 at the Wayback Machine Degirmenlik Environment and Publicity Association
  19. ↑ Kıbrıs kültürünün yaşatılması önemli (Kıbrıs) Retrieved on 30 December 2014.
  20. ↑ Cyprus Turkish Football Federation Degirmenlik Sports Club
  21. ↑ Degirmenlik Municipality Archived 2015-06-18 at the Wayback Machine Sports Club Facilities
  22. ↑ Northern Cyprus Archived 2015-06-18 at the Wayback Machine Association of Football Clubs
  23. ↑ Ada Basini 24 April 2014 Archived 18 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine Isisal: "The most successful is Kythrea"
  24. ↑ TRNC MEBNET. Accessed 23 July 2022.
  25. ↑ "Gebze - Twin Towns". © Gebze-City.sk. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  26. ↑ "Kythrea and Canik are Twin Towns". © Kibris Postasi. Retrieved 2015-06-16.
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