Analiontas
Analiontas is a small village located at an altitude of 380 meters, about 20 kilometers south of Nicosia.
The main crops cultivated in Analiontas are olives, cereals, vegetables, almond trees, and other fruit-bearing trees. It is noteworthy that the village has experienced population growth in recent years due to urban migration. Before the first intercommunal conflicts of the 1950s, it was a mixed village inhabited by both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
On a hill southeast of the village stands the Monastery of Archangel Michael.
The area of Analiontas has been inhabited since ancient times. At the location known as “Kourvellos,” southeast of the village, a French archaeological mission discovered findings and tools from the Neolithic period (4800 BC), dating from the same era as the settlement of Choirokoitia. There is no settlement in the area today because, according to the conclusions of the archaeological mission, the site was used as a temporary dwelling place.
According to local tradition, there was once a settlement at the location called “Petrera,” situated only five hundred meters southwest of the village. Today, its ruins consist of large piles of stones, which is why the area became known as “Petrera.”
Nearchos Clerides mentions that during both the Frankish and Byzantine periods, Analiontas was renowned for the many miracles of Saint George. The small chapel dedicated to the saint, now in ruins, stood in Katalyontas, while the miraculous icon of Saint George was preserved for a long time in the church of Saint Marina and later at the Archbishopric.
Older residents testify that the Turkish Cypriot landowner of Katalyontas, Hilmi Bey, used to keep the oil lamp of Saint George lit. Furthermore, beneath the chapel there was an underground tunnel leading to a Christian hiding place used during times of persecution.