Evrychou , a picturesque village of the Nicosia District and the agricultural centre of the “Solea” region, is located about 50 km south-west of Nicosia and 30 km from mount Troodos.
Exactly because of its position, its climatic and -generally -its weather conditions are very nice, Mediterranean like. Here there is neither the cold of Troodo nor the excessive heat of Nicosia or even the humidity of the sea.
Evrychou is built at the east bank of the Kargotis River, at an average altitude of 440 metres. Small streams run down from the slopes and toward the valley, fragmenting the village’s landscape.
The village receives an average annual rainfall of about 419 millimetres; fruit-bearing trees (mainly apple, pear, plum, apricot, and peach trees), a few citrus-trees, almond and olive trees, vegetables (mostly potatoes), some legumes, vines (of wine-making varieties), and cereals (mainly barley) are cultivated in the region. Although the entire Solea region is renowned for its fruits and vegetables, Evrychou is particularly known for the quality of its apples.
A variety of natural vegetation, mainly rock-roses, terebinths (turpentine trees), fleabanes, and some scattered pine-trees grow along the slopes of Kargotis’s valley.
Evrychou’s population steadily increased from 1881 -when official records started -until 1946. In 1881 it was the village with the largest population in Solea and the ninth in the entire district of Nicosia, having 588 inhabitants. In 1891 the inhabitants increased to 615, in 1901 to 634, in 1911 to 703, in 1921 to 895, in 1931 to 950, and in 1946 to 993. In the next two censuses there was a decrease of population: 950 inhabitants in 1960 and 892 inhabitants in 1973. After the 1974 Turkish invasion, Evrychou temporarily received a large number of dislodged Greek-Cypriots, mainly from the plain of Morfou. So, in 1976 the population had increased to 1340 inhabitants. During the 1982 census Evrychou had 977 inhabitants and was the second largest village of Solea in terms of population after Kakopetria. In the 2001 census Evrychou numbered 819 inhabitants. The village’s growth of population is primarily due to its rich and fertile land. Besides, the “Skouriotissa” mine -located at a small distance from the village -had helped in the employment of a some part of the population before the invasion. Today a significant number of inhabitants transport to Nicosia for employment.
During older times and before Independence, both the roads and the general image that the village presented had no features to make it stand out as a developed village.
Apart from the roads that connect the village with the city and the neighbouring villages, which also were in bad shape, the other ones inside the village being like that too, narrow paths were serving the needs of an era that was dominated by four-legged animals.
The illumination in the streets was vestigial -petrol lamps and even those were very few. The same thing happened with the village’s water supply. We took water from wells – pits. Most people roamed the neighbourhoods for water and only in 1937 did the village receive drinking water after the installation of “fountanes” (plural, fountains – taps), from which they got water, in various points.
A gradual development of the village started with the establishment of the Improvement Board in 1964 as an institution of local self-administration. The paths were turned into streets. The petrol lamps were replaced by electric lighting, first in the streets and then in all the houses. Water supply entered all the households. The installation of telephones and other means of communication are almost general. The village’s physiognomy changed radically and we can now rightfully speak of a developed village. No matter how much has been done, the demands for more projects do increase and we have no right to lag behind with regards to the demands of the times.
Evrychou, which is almost at the centre of Kargotis’s valley, is the agricultural centre of Solea, having many services that serve the entire precinct.
It has a Regional Elementary School, a High School, a Senior High School, a Fire Station, a Health Centre, a Police Station, an office of the Game & Fauna Department, and a branch of the Nicosia District Agricultural Office. Furthermore, the Metropolitan Bishop of Morfou has transferred his temporary headquarters in the village after the 1975 Turkish Invasion. The Morfou Diocese was transferred to Evrychou and is housed in the premises of the Old Elementary School after it was renovated and some new apartments were added. Since old times, a regional office of the Department of Land & Surveys and a Court operated and still operate until today.
Also, the Welfare Bureau has offices here. Moreover, the offices of the District Administration of Nicosia are housed here along with all the services that it offers. The same goes for the Divisional Police Headquarters of Morfou.
Evrychou is connected by road to Kato Flasou (about 3 km) in the north-east, to Temvria (about 2 km) in the south-west, and to Korakou (about 2 km) in the west. The Nicosia — Troodos road connects the village both with the capital as well as with the mountainous resorts of Troodos.
The settlement of Evrychou is entirely built along the valley of Kargotis and especially along the old Nicosia — Troodos road. New buildings have started being built on the slopes of the valley recently. Nonetheless, the village maintains its folkloric architecture to a large degree. The tiled, inclining roofs, the wooden balconies, the latches and bolts, and the local stone with which the houses’ walls were made are the village’s plethoric elements of folkloric architecture.
Two churches in Evrychou, that of St. George and that of St. Marina, were made in the previous century. Another church is that of St. Kara. About one km north of the village stands another church that is dedicated to St. Kyriakos, which is considered to be of characteristically mediaeval style.
In his book ” Recherches Scientuque en Orient “, A. Gaudry mentions that Evrychou produced the best cotton in Cyprus until the middle of the 19 th century. The village gained ever greater importance after the British occupation of Cyprus because of the infrastructure projects that were done. So, in 1899 the construction of the road that started in Nicosia and ended in the village was completed. As a large village, Evrychou acquired a Police Station since 1905 and was the west terminal of the Railroad of Cyprus , which connected Ammochostos with Nicosia and Nicosia with Evrychou through a track that had a total range of 72 miles. The Railroad, although it was in operation since 1906, was connected with Evrychou in June of 1915. In 1932 a railroad branch between Evrychou and Kalo-Chorio-Lefkas was put into operation.
There are several interpretations regarding the village’s name. The most prevalent reports that the village got its name because of being the only village in the region that has the largest range: “Evrys Chous”, which in ancient Greek means “Large area / land”. A second interpretation mentions that, according to tradition, the name was given to the village by immigrants from other regions, which found here plenty and fertile land (“Ev Chous”, meaning Good land). Another interpretation says that it took its name from the community’s first settler who was named Evrychios.
The village is also reported under the name “Eariko” in old maps of 1573 and Mas Latri writes it as Eurichou.