Filenews 24 January 2021 - by Dora Christodoulou
Until now, the myth of the goddess of beauty was "on paper" regarding Geroskipou, the area that, like its name suggestive, was in mythology the place where Aphrodite made her walks in her "Holy Gardens". Now, the connection of the goddess with the second population municipality of Paphos province today will be transferred "on the ground". The mayor, Michalis Pavlidis, told "F" that everything is now ready to begin in 2021 a huge project for local data highlighting the mythological and historical background of Geroskipou focusing on its relationship with the goddess of love and beauty.
This design had been developed by the local authority for years, but unpredictable negative data in our country, such as the collapse of the economy in 2013, did not allow it to be implemented. In the last two years, however, the design has not only returned to the fore, but has also been linked to related projects planned by the municipality, such as the regeneration and promotion of its historical core, but also the very recent purchase of the huge area of the old CEN Paphos by the owner Bank of Cyprus.
These designs now come in a common way, stresses Michalis Pavlidis, in order to become a mammoth project in the centre of the municipality, which will extend up to the site of Seven St. Georges, at a distance of several kilometres from the core of the design.
"We can now say with certainty", points out the mayor of Geroskipou, "that Geroskipou, the geographical area of the island that has been inextricably linked to Cypriot history and mythology, due to its connection with the goddess Aphrodite, again today acquires a central role in the rich historical and archaeological tradition of the province of Paphos. Our ambitious plan for the organic integration of areas of the municipality with archaeological and cultural interest in the tourist, commercial and social everyday life of the region, through the unification of archaeological and historical sites that, although all in its central core, operate until today piecemeal and unconnected, is now entering the rails".
Michalis Pavlidis says the design has been completed and is now in the final phase for its implementation. In this context, the Municipal Authority has received approval for the inclusion of a large part of the projects in European subsidised projects, while at the same time it has begun to implement the grandiose objective with work related to reconstructions of the historical core of the municipality which is a project that will "run" in parallel with the projects highlighting the myth of Aphrodite.
"The grand plan is now in its final phase, focusing on the regeneration of the historical core of our municipality and the promotion of the rich archaeological and mythological dimension of the area", stresses.
"We have completed the planning for the revival of the "Walking of the goddess Aphrodite", which in antiquity, according to written texts of Stravona, started from today's Kato Vrysi, passed through the traditional flour mill, above the current schools of Geroskipou, climbed towards the ancient tremors and ended up in the present historical core, behind the Municipal Palace. This planning can now be said to have already been completed in terms of its authorisation by the state departments and in the procedures for securing the necessary funds."
For the first time, the mayor points out, the walk of the goddess will extend to the archaeological and historical value area of the Seven Agios Georges of the municipality, where today is the homonymous church and the famous caves that communicate underground with the main square of the municipality and the church of Agia Paraskevi.
It also states that as part of the design, the Municipal Authority has purchased the piece of land adjacent to the Gymnasium of Agia Paraskevi, very close to Kato Vrysi, where the placement of a statue of Aphrodite is being studied at the same time.
The great work of connecting the archaeological and historical sites of Geroskipou, stresses Michalis Pavlidis, begins to be promoted for maturation and implementation in its final design from 2018, while the bulk will concern an amount in excess of 2 million euros.
"The aim of the local authority is to create a thematic promenade that combines mythology, naturalism and exercise," he explains. "The integration of the residential core of the Municipality of Geroskipou with its archaeological sites, located in the wider area of the center, was our big bet, which is not irrelevant and with the promotion now, after many years of delays, construction of the connecting road of tourist area-central core, which will bring people from the tourist area to our historical center. In this direction, the study prepared for the integration of the historical center with the Kato Vrysi and the Medieval Flour Mill is also moving".
Kato Vrysi, points out Michalis Pavlidis, is an important part of the history and cultural heritage of Geroskipou. The important role it seems to have had in the worship honors in honor of the goddess Aphrodite and in its Holy Gardens is a legacy that the Municipal Authority is currently attempting to highlight and exploit on a practical level.
"The effort of the municipality of Geroskipou is the second project of this type to be launched in the province of Paphos, after the much larger-scale project for the amount of EUR 4 million. In order to consolidate the archaeological sites of Kato Paphos", he observes. "In this context, the Municipal Authority takes care of the further exploitation and promotion of this monument of the social and cultural life of Geroskipou. It has been 100 years since the construction of the stone arches and the laundry room at the exit of the spring known nowadays as "Kato Vrysi", which from the ancient years until the first decades of the 20th century covered the water and irrigation needs of the community, while here was also the washing of the clothes of the inhabitants. The folk tradition, in fact, wants its water, which is channeled through an underground tunnel that passes through the courtyard of the church of Agia Paraskevi, as a "miraculous holy water", since this was associated with the treatment of eye diseases".
ASSESSMENT OF THE OLD CEN
The mayor of Geroskipou points out that in addition to the projects for the promotion and landscaping of the historical and mythological sites of the present municipality, a large-scale project has already begun to be planned by the Municipal Authority: "This is the inclusion of the huge area occupied today by the old CEN Paphos, in the center of our municipality, for which only a few days ago we reached a final agreement with the owner Bank of Cyprus for its acquisition. The agreement concerns the purchase of the entire area occupied by the old Recruit Training Centre, which amounts to 30 thousand square meters, and not only to the Guard and the Governorate for which the discussions were held in the past.
Our goal now is to connect the area with the adjacent Sculpture Park and the main square of the municipality, essentially creating a huge open space of about 100 thousand square meters. It will be combined in parallel with the projects that the municipality will start to carry out from the beginning of 2021 to interconnect its square space with the area of Kato Vrysi and other points related to the myth of the goddess Aphrodite".
