Agios Nikolaos Church - Alassa
The church of Agios Nikolaos is located in the Alassa village in the Limassol district.
The village of Alassa is situated about 12 kilometres from Limassol and was relocated to the position which it is in today, after its original location was submerged underwater in 1989 by the manmade Kouri Dam (the largest dam in Cyprus).
The village has previously been abandoned during the 17th century and a small community was created again in 1881.
The chapel of Agios Nikolaos was also submerged underwater along with the rest of the village, and it is the only thing left from the old village.
The church ruins can only be seen in some cases during the year. This only occurs when the water level is not high. During the rest of the year, when the dam is filled with water, the only thing that can be seen from the church is the bell tower.
Archaeological excavations have taken place which revealed the remains of a previous settlement dated to the Late Copper Age (165-1050 A.D) along with a residents dated to the 5th century A.D.
Mosaics with the Goddess Aphrodite were also found in the area and are now housed at the Limassol District Archaeological Museum.
In 1988 a seminar took place at the University of Cambridge, while in 1993 the findings were on display at the American Archaeological institute in Washington. Other exhibitions in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra also took place.
