Kato Drys
Kato Drys village is located to the southwest of the town of Larnaca and it borders with the villages Pano Lefkara (4 kilometres), Kato Lefkara (4 kilometres) and with Vavla (6 kilometres).
The Kato Drys village is located in the middle of three main cities in Cyprus. The distance from the Nicosia is 50 kilometres and the distance from Larnaca and Limassol is only 36 kilometres. The village is also 25 kilometres away from the Governor’s beach. The village of Kato Drys is built at an altitude of 520 metres from the sea surface. It has a hilly terrain with deep narrow valleys and it split by the Agios Minas River.
Name
There are two versions for how the village took its name. The first version is that the village took its name from the many oak trees which were in the village. A second version mentions that may years ago there were two villages, Pano Drys and Kato Drys and between the two villages there was a huge oak tree.
The village existed with the same name during the ruling of the Franks and is located on old maps as Catodi. Some researchers believe that it is possible that the village is identified with the village Kakotrigiti which was given to Maritzio de Konstantzo by King Jacob II when he became the Admiral of Cyprus, along with the villages Vavla, Kornokipo Lymbia and Arsos Mesaoria. It is also mentioned that the village had been given to anther noble man, Fabrikio Tsendile the father of Gabriel Tsendile who was King Jacob’s doctor, but then it returned to the property of De Mas Latsi.
Village Population
The population of the village which was 345 in 1881, reached 536 during 1946. After 1946 the village was hit by urbanization resulting in the constant decrease of the population. Today the population of the village is 130 permanent residents. During the last few years the expatriates have returned and have started restoring their houses or building new ones. Many locals also buy new houses or restore them as well, resulting in the development of the village.
Resident occupations
The residents occupy themselves very little with agriculture and livestock. During the last three years, large areas of land were planted with a variety of vineyards, where many residents occupy themselves. There are plans for a modern wine factory to be built in the village as well. Many residents occupy themselves with the restoration and construction of buildings. Kato Dry is famous for its Lefkaritika embroidery.
Churches
The old church of the village is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is called Panagia Eleousa (16th century). It was renovated by the department of antiquities and there are sections of hagiographies which are saved in its interior. The large church in the village is dedicated to Agio Charalambo and it was built in 1897. Agios Charalambos is the saint of the community. There are three chapels in the village. One is Agiou Neophytou which is located south of the village on a hill and it was built in 1923 after a donation of the community. The other two chapels are those of Agiou Georgiou and Timiou Prodromou.
