Hidden gem: Kellia

by Timo

On Saturday, we spontaneously took a trip to Kellia. The small village in the Larnaka district is directly adjacent to Livadia in the south and Oroklini in the east. We went straight to the church of Panagia Eleousa, a true gem of tranquility and peace. The small chapel was built by a gentleman named Iraklis in the 1970s on his private property and is still maintained and operated by him and his family to this day. The large property is located in a hilly, almost mountainous landscape, planted with beautiful trees and flowers, and is home to a variety of animals: peacocks 🦚, donkeys 🐴, goats 🐐, pigs 🐖, deer 🦌, and of course, many of the omnipresent cats 🐈. The photos may give a small impression of the calmness that emanates from this place. You can really relax and free your mind from heavy thoughts here. Despite their young age, the church, a small chapel reached via a bridge, and the other buildings appear ancient. Everything seems very old and reminiscent of early Christian gathering places. There is even a small underground connecting tunnel where Christians could have hidden from persecution if the complex had actually been from the early days of Christianity. But as is often the case here in Cyprus, this complex also has a beautiful playground with modern equipment, picnic benches, and a changing room. There, modernity briefly returns. On the premises, I also saw olive trees bearing fruit for the first time today. Harvest time is apparently in September and October here.

At the beginning, we were the only visitors to the site. Later, another couple joined us, and it turned out that they were also Germans who had emigrated to Cyprus not too long ago and live not far from us. From the two of them, we learned that there is a wholesale vegetable market in Kellia, which also opens for end consumers twice a week, so we went to the Agro Market after our excursion. In principle, it was nothing more than a corrugated iron hall crammed with fruits and vegetables. Most of them were local products. In addition to field crops, we also bought a large jar of capers.

We have firmly resolved to visit Panagia Eleousa again soon and have a picnic there for breakfast.