Xyliatos Village

Xyliatos is a village in the district of Nicosia and it is built 50 kilometres southwest of the capital at an altitude of 515 metres.

The dam as well as the surrounding picnic area are important points in the village. Many tourists go to the village in order to enjoy the peacefulness and the beauty of the dam. The dam is in the middle of a green mountain which is mirrored in the clear waters.

Historical Information

The village of Xyliatos existed during the medieval years, as the name of Filato which is the name the village used to have and is marked on old maps. According to Karouzi the village is marked on Venetian maps as according to Mas Latri the village was a royal feud during the ruling of the Franks.

Population

The population from 1881 until 2001, met many increases and decreases over the years. From 1881 the village only had 42 residents which slowly increased to 69 within a decade. In 1901 the residents were 71 and then decreased to 66 within the following decade. However in 1921 the population nearly tripled to 158 and decreased to 131 within the next decade. In 1946 the residents continued to decrease to 110 and then increased to 131 in 1960. During 1973 there was a slight increase to 142 residents and then within three years an increase to 177 residents. In 1982 there was a decrease to 122 residents and then the number remained stable during 2001. The last inventory in 209 showed an increase to 150 residents. As it seems the village has continued to increase and this is due to the development steps the village has taken lately.

Name

The name of the village, as stated by Nearchos Kliridis is connected to the owner of the area who was named Xylias. The medieval ending of -atos was added to the word which means ownership. The owner had a forest estate area or was a woodcutter. The Great Cypriot Encyclopaedia adds that on older maps the village was marked with the name Filato , which was possibly a corruption of the Greek name which was created during the ruling  of the Franks or the Venetian.

Natural Environment

The wild and tamed vegetation are harmonically entwined creating a wonderful location. On the one hand is the green of the thyme and the low bushes, and on the other are the vegetables and fruit. It is worth mentioning that in the village there is a part of the national forest called Adelfoi (Brothers). One may enjoy the beauty of nature walking through the nature trails and the Xyliatos picnic area. The most impressive image of Xyliatos and the one reason which makes the village so well-known is the Xyliatos Dam with its small green hills surrounding it.

Churches

In the village there are two churches one is of Agios Mamas and the other is of Agios Mamas cave. According to tradition saved by the residents of the village after generations, it is stated that Agios Mamas lived in a cave in the village but the whole village also used the cave for pasture.