| Karpasha | |
|---|---|
| Kαρπάσια (Greek) Karpaşa (Turkish) | |
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Karpasha
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Cyprus |
| District | Kyrenia District |
| Municipality | |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
Karpasha (Greek: Kαρπάσια, Turkish: Karpaşa) is located 30km southwest of Kyrenia, on the north it is the village of Myrtou, west the village of Diorios and south the village of Kampyli. The village took its name from the Turkish word “Kurp-Asia” which means near Asia. [1]
Karpasha is the smallest village in population amongst the Maronite villages. In 1778 there were 99 inhabitants whereas in 1973 they numbered 245. Today only eleven enclaved people remained in Karpasha, the remainder of Karpasha inhabitants became refugees.[2]
The church in the village is dedicated to the Holy Cross. Inside the church there are remnants of wall paintings, whereas the icons are dated from the 17th century. There are also two ancient wooden crosses of great value: the one, purely Byzantine, is dated from the 15th century while the other, Cypriot-Byzantine rustic technocracy, is dated from the 17th century. The two crosses constitute one of the most important belongings of the Maronite community, which celebrates the protector of the village on September 14, the day on which St. Helen found the Holy Cross (14th September 320 A.C.). [3]