Deryneia. The people and their culture.
The village of Deryneia lies on a hill at the southeastern end of Cyprus, about five kilometers south of Famagusta and at an altitude of 70 meters above the sea level.
According to the census of 2011 Deryneia has 5758 residents excluding residents of Kato Deryneia who are now scattered all over Cyprus, refugees in their own land.
Deryneia has been upgraded to a municipality in 1994 and the municipal boundaries include Deryneia, Strovilia, the Turkish occupied village of Kato Deryneia and the refugee’s settlement.
Deryneia has an area of 32.31 sq km of which 21.63 square kilometers located in the occupied area and in the buffer zone.
Deryneia is bordering Paralimni, Sotira, Frenaros, the British Bases, Acheritou and Famagusta.
Traditionally Deryneia was a rural village and the residents were poor farmers and ranchers who occasionally cultivated cereals, grapes, pomegranates, madder roots, citrus, carob, almond and later vegetables and melons, while nowadays strawberries are widely cultivated.
During the Frankish period the inhabitants of Deryneia were dealing with sericulture and probably the rice paddies. Louis Palma di Cesnola stated that at the Frankish period rice was cultivated in the neighboring lake.
The women engaged in weaving, the silk and domesticated livestock, while helping in harvesting the crops
In the mid 20th century after Famagusta had thrived as a maritime center, residents of Deryneia seek work there because village life was hard and poverty was high, as the land had no value.
This form of life in Deryneia changed from one day to another, since the Turkish invasion deprived them of access to the city and deprived them of any right to use their land
After the Turkish invasion of 1974, the people of Deryneia searched work elsewhere and ironically brought them to work as employees in the tourism industry, while previously their land had the potential to thrive in tourism
The residents of Deryneia today are active in small businesses and in the tourist industry. The few who remained in agriculture, engaged in the cultivation of strawberries and vegetables on a smaller scale. Livestock production is insignificant.
Despite the hard life that passed, the residents of Deryneia did not failed to provide education to their children and a school was in operation in Deryneia as early as in 1675A.D. Nowadays three elementary schools and a high school are operating in Deryneia.
When Deryneia was built is unknown, but with great caution can be placed in the late 13th century at the reign of Henry II. At that time Palestine and Syria fell into the hands of the Mamelukes and Cyprus was flooded by foreigners that were leaving those parts of the world. After this, Henry II gave Famagusta and the surrounding area to the knights, giving the opportunity for the development of Famagusta and the creation of new settlements on the outskirts.
The oldest and undisputed testimony of Deryneia’s existence comes through Genoese documents stating that in 1447A.D the Genoese commander of Famagusta Pietro di Marco convened a meeting that was attended by the representatives of the villages of Trapeza, Dirignia and Sanctificahius.
Another witness is the manuscript copy of the inventory of villages made by the Venetians in 1520A.D where Deryneia is listed as Dirignia
Deryneia first appears on maps in 1538A.D on a portolan map of Matheo Pagano. On this map Deryneia is located west of Comodada, and probably on a location named Chalasmata (Ruins)
Important for the history of Deryneia are two maps shown that in the same area there were two villages with similar names. These maps are as follows: The first was designed in 1754A.D by Alexander Drummond and this marked the villages as Terusia and Diridia, the second map is of Jean Baptiste Bourgignon 1762A.D in which these two villages have the same position as in the first mentioned and are written as Terinia and Deridia.
Through the information we get from the maps, we can easily draw the conclusion that indeed the tradition of Deryneia that says the people came from somewhere else is correct, but as the years passed, people forgot where they came from.
The prevailing view that the inhabitants of Deryneia came from Therymio a location at the east, is disproved by the information we get from the maps. In the first map Deryneia placed north and the other two maps appear two villages, one north and the other in line with Famagusta. So it can be concluded that, yes, the residents of Deryneia came from somewhere else and the place where they came from can be placed north with a great probability at Chalasmata.
Therymio was a settlement of unknown name flourished in Byzantine times and reportedly there were coins found their depicting the three hierarchs. The only cutting Cypriot coins, depicting three figures are from 627A.D showing Emperor Heraclius with his wife and son. The settlement was probably destroyed by the Arab invaders in 649A.D
The idea that Deryneia named after Nestor it is most probably wrong, since Nestor returned home immediately after the Trojan War. Also nothing confirms the existence of a settlement of that period.
In all manuscripts Deryneia indicated as Dirignia or Dirigna. These two names, as words have Italian roots and probably derived from the word digrignia which translates to grind and this brings us back to the risky connotation that Deryneia probably got its name from mills that might have been operating in the area. The first time the name of Deryneia is written in Greek was in 1602A.D and appears in handwriting of the priest of the village. In this case Deryneia is written as (Διρίγνια) Dirignia. That is a direct translation from Italian to Greek. In the early years of British rule Deryneia was written as Derinia.
The view that the name of Deryneia originated from the name of a Frankish nobleman who lived on a near by height is simply a mixture of myth and reality. In fact the site had been used by the British forces to camp in the first years of their arrival in Cyprus to avoid the unhealthy climate of the then moorland of Famagusta. The English commander had built his home on top of the height. The house was abandoned when English troops were transferred to other areas. The ruins of this house stood until the mid 20th century.
Monuments of historical interest in Deryneia are the Church of Panagia, originally constructed as single-domed building and placed in the 14th or 15th century.
The church of St. George was built in the middle of the 16th century.
The church of St. Constantine probably built in the 16th century and is directly connected to the Venetian aqueduct built in 1546A.D
Deryneia offers culture through the operation of groups such as the choir, theatrical groups of children and adults, dance groups, music bands. Cultural events are organized in collaboration with all the organized groups of the municipality.
The events that stand out are the Easter Events and the Strawberry Festival
It is reported that the residents of Deryneia are peaceful and receptive and for this reason there are many foreigners who have sought shelter within the municipal boundaries of Deryneia. Visitors can move freely and fearlessly and can visit the sacred places, the Folklore Museum, the Irrigation Theme Park and to gaze the buffer zone and the occupied town of Famagusta.
Walking through the neighborhoods of Deryneia a visitor can easily talk to people and make friends.
If someone wants a dinner or a coffee break a few cafes located in the central square and small taverns offer delicious food and beverages.
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