The Story of a Christian Church That Survived after 1974

Agioi Iliofoto was a village with a Greek and Christian name, although it was inhabited solely by Turkish Cypriots. In everyday speech, the village’s name gradually changed first to Alifodes and then to Alihodes. A Christian church stood in the centre of the village. The Muslim residents did not neglect the church: they regularly cleaned it, kept it in order, carried out repairs and monitored its condition.

Every year, on the church’s feast day, Greek Cypriots from neighbouring villages came here. After 1974, the residents left the village, but the church remained. Thus, the church, which had been cared for by Turkish Cypriots for years, has survived to this day.

The story of Agioi Iliofoto recalls not only the church itself, but also the village, its residents and the period when members of different communities continued to maintain a connection with this place.