The name of the village means location with many tows (Vine). Therefore Polystypos means place overfilled by vines. Now you gonna tell me, Polystypos is not known for its vineyards, but for hazelnuts, but what most do not know is that in the past the village area was overgrown with vines, which, however, residents decreased during the period the Turkish occupation, when it imposed a special tax on wine production. When was the village is unknown, but it is considered certain that the village existed during the Middle Ages, after referring to various medieval documents .
As said before, Polystypos is known for hazelnuts and residents, with the help of the state, established officially very old path length 1.7 Km crossing the hazelnut forest of the village as a nature trail and part of the European Network for the Protection of Nature ''Natura 2000''. The trail starts from ''Vrysi'' or ''Kato Vrysi'' - a natural source in the lower neighborhood of the village, which is the oldest neighborhood of the village, where we began our journey. The trail goes downhill and out of hazelnuts you can also see other kinds of trees such as walnut , pomegranate, almond, etc. The most remarkable, however, part of the route is the orchid Epipactis Microphylla, blooms only next to the roots of the hazel. This orchid is endemic in Cyprus and you can admire the small, white blossoms in early May, which is the period of flowering . Along the way you will cross a small stream, after which the trail splits. Either we continue the journey through the valley, you will either stop down their kladi ''Hadjimattheou'', which are two huge oaks, to then take the uphill road that leads to the monastery of St. Andrew and asphalted main road in Nicosia.
Saying monastery, do not expect to see monastery cells, since only the church has survived and is the last remnant of a very ancient monastery of St. Andrew of Polystypos, as he was known. The monastery flourished until 1700, but in 1708, a strong earthquake and a smallpox epidemic decimated the monks began to decline around 1898 and ceased to function as a monastery. The chapel today, apart from wedding ceremonies, functions only four times a year. The chapel has , like many other small churches in the Troodos area, beautiful wooden roof with flat tiles, while the treasured picture of St. Andrew is said to be miraculous.
Approximately 100 meters west of the church is still a centenarian oak, which is said to be over 600 years old and you can sit on old roots and enjoy nature and feel the power of this ancient legend of the tree. The legent says it December 1944 loggers began felling the oaks of Apostle Andrew and have asked the supplication of the saint, who listened and the next day the masterlogger named Christophis of Giorgaros fell ill suddenly , the project failed and the park was saved.
Back in the village, if you want to stay overnight there is the house of Eurydice , while coffee and dessert try the cafe of Stavrys or the club of Heracles. Finally, in the Youth Center or cafeteria "Pantheon" you can enjoy delicious local dishes along with also delicious local wines Polystypos . Do not forget to buy the famous sausages from the workshop of Mr. Andreas Polydorou and note also that in mid- October you can enjoy paluze and zivania the event ''Madari Mother Earth''.
Elevation: Average altitude of 1150 meters.
Distance: 50 Km from Nicosia , 48 Km from Limassol , 80 Km from Larnaca and 87 Km from Paphos.
Residents: 155
HOT: The fountoukodasos , the church of St. Andrew, the centenarians oaks .
Article by Andreas Constantinou, republished from the newspaper AVANT GARDE, Issue 33, September 2013.
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