St. Marinouda enjoys an idyllic location on a hill facing the sea. Guests of the village as well as its permanent residents can enjoy the cool breeze that blows during the summer months – a special feature of the village.
The village church is dedicated to St. Marina, from which the village also took its name. It is said that there used to be an older church at the location where the current church was recently built (1985), which seems to have collapsed due to the fact that its construction at the time (1920) was not solid. With contributions from the residents and donations thereafter, the present day church was built. In addition, the village had a small chapel which was that of Saint Constantine and Helen. Unfortunately however, visitors today can only see the ruins of this small temple which collapsed with the passing of time.
Before the invasion of the village, the residents were mainly Greek Cypriot, however many in St. Marinouda were also Turkish Cypriot inhabitants. The two peoples lived peacefully and were mainly employed with agriculture and livestock.
Apart from the rural areas, the village was characterized by many mulberries, both white and black. The first selection had white and sometimes red fruits, while the second reached as high as ten meters. Both types are excellent food sources for silkworms. Therefore, the residents of St. Marinouda cultivated mulberry for silkworms with the ultimate aim of producing silk. Their effort contributed to the fact that the silk factory was only a very short distance away and where, until recently, the Centre for the Education of Recruits (CER) of Yeroskipou was housed.
Another plant that one might have encountered in the village of St. Marinouda was that of the cannabis plant, both wild and cultivated. A plant quite well known from ancient times as being a fiber, it is used to obtain the fibers used in both the weaving and the manufacturing of rope, canvas and other materials.
Over time, as the cultivation of hemp was banned and after the silk factory closed, the villagers were forced to turn to the city of Paphos and the neighboring community of Yeroskipou for work. St. Marinouda also borders with the communities of Koloni, Acheleia and Marathounta. In the 2001 census, the inhabitants of the village numbered 220 and according to the last census in 2011, that number reached 266. Several new couples have started buying property in St. Marinouda, which has resulted in more and more growth and development for the village.
Courtesy of the Community Council of Agia Marinouda
