Information on Ora Village
Ora Village Municipality Building Photo © CyprusExpat.co.uk
Ora Village is situated in the Larnaca District of Cyprus. The village lies close to Agoi Vavatsinias, Melini, Akapnou, Lageia and Eptagoneia villages.
The original village was located just under a kilometre away from the present location of the village. The original village suffered from an outbreak of a deadly disease, possibly cholera. The village population was decimated and when only a few survivors remained, they decided to leave the village and build a new village nearby.
The homes of the original village thus fell into decay, became ruins and over time disappeared. The only reminder from the old village is a slab of stone to mark the burial place of the priest of the village church, the Agios Ioannis Church.
Ora Village acquired it’s name from a variety of legends, but two of these make sense. The first was because the original village homes were built in a row and the Greek word for a row is Oran. The second legend states that when the survivors from the old village chose the site for the new village, it was a nice place. The Greek word for nice is Orea.
The village has always been a farming village, but the water supply was a problem, so the cultivation of crops was limited. The villagers also became quality tradesmen making leather shoes. Livestock was also limited due to the water supply.
Ora Village has two churches. The main village church is the Agia Marina Church located in the village centre. The church was built by the survivors of the original village to replace the old Agios Ioannis Church. The church was named the Agia Marina Church due to the belief that the saint would protect the village from deadly diseases.
The other church, the Apostolos Andreas Church is located at the entrance to the village, overlooking the village cemetery.
The Ora Village Community Council offices used to be one of the village schools. The school children of the village were separated into boys and girls schools. The teachers were men for many years, as it was deemed problematic to have women teachers due to pregnancies and taking time away from educating the children. There are photographs of the first woman school teacher of the village inside the building. The magnificent old school building is no longer in use, except for special functions.
The census of 2001 recorded 180 registered permanent residents and the figure today is around 200 people. The village has managed to keep it’s population from leaving due to the prospect of local employment. Ora Village has a local water bottling plant, a large chicken farm and a small olive oil mill producing locally made olive oil. Education though remains a major problem for moving away from the village.
Ora Village Photo © CyprusExpat.co.uk
Ora Village Photo © CyprusExpat.co.uk
Ora Village Photo © CyprusExpat.co.uk
Ora Village Photo © CyprusExpat.co.uk
Ora Village Photo © CyprusExpat.co.uk