AGIOS THEODOROS

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Agios Theodoros is a village situated in the Larnaca district, four kilometers south of Kofinou/Geçitkale and immediately off the Nicosia-Limassol motorway. Throughout most of its history this village was inhabited by both Greek and Turkish Cypriots. It is named after “Saint Theodore.” In 1958, Turkish Cypriots adopted the alternative name of Boğaziçi, meaning “strait” or “Bosphoros.”

 
 

Historical Population

As can be seen in the above chart, the village was mixed from the Ottoman period. The population was almost always evenly divided between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Although throughout the British period the village’s Greek Cypriot population was slightly larger than that of the Turkish Cypriots, by the time of the 1960 census the Turkish Cypriots had become the majority in the village. During the British period the Greek Cypriot proportion of the population declined from 52% in 1891 to 43% in 1960.

Displacement:

Although no one was displaced neither during the emergency years of the late1950s, nor during the intercommunal strife of 1963-4, the village witnessed many violent events. The village’s Turkish Cypriot quarter was sealed off by Turkish Cypriot Fighters in December 1963 and became part of the Kofinou/Geçitkale enclave, controlled by Turkish Cypriot Fighters. In April 1964 there were clashes between the two communities. The enclaved Turkish Cypriot quarter of the village also became, during this period, an important reception area for displaced Turkish Cypriots from neighboring villages. Richard Patrick recorded 96 Turkish Cypriot displaced persons still living in the village in 1971. Those who sought refuge in Agios Theodoros came mainly from nearby mixed and Turkish Cypriot villages such as Perivolia/Bahçalar(369), Anafotida/Akkor(349) and Anglisides/Aksu(350).

The first conflict-related displacement from Agios Theodoros occured in 1974, when all the Turkish Cypriots fled to the Turkish-controlled areas that had been established in the island’s north after August of that year. Those who were left behind and could not flee were eventually transferred by UNFICYP to the north in August 1975. Most of the Turkish Cypriots of Agios Theodoros were resettled in Agios Sergios(123), a village in the Famagusta district. They, renamed it Yeni Boğaziçi (New Boğaziçi) after the Turkish alternative name of Agios Theodoros. The total number of Turkish Cypriot displaced persons from this village is estimated to be around 700-750 (685 in 1960).

Current Inhabitants:

Currently the village is mainly inhabited by its original Greek Cypriot villagers. However, there are some displaced Greek Cypriots living in the former Turkish Cypriot neighborhood of the village. The last Cypriot census of 2001 put the total population at 599.
 


 
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