The Municipality aims to highlight the important monument of the history of the Municipality of Paralimni - Deryneia, the "Five Arches" Aqueduct. Recently, the Mayor visited the area with the Deputy Mayor of Deryneia, the Municipal Secretary and accompanied by the UNFICYP peacekeeping force, examining ways to clean up and highlight the ancient monument following a relevant decision by the Municipal Council.
The "Five Arches"
The Aqueduct is part of the water system of Famagusta during the early years of the Turkish occupation in Cyprus. The aqueduct served the water needs of Famagusta throughout the Turkish occupation and its history is directly linked to the history of the beheading of Papa Zacharias, where according to information collected by the Metropolis of Constantia, around the 15th century a fatal disease appeared in Mytilene, which forced a group of people to leave and come with their priest, Papa Zacharias, and live in the Panagia area in Protaras.
According to tradition, immediately after the conquest of Cyprus by the Ottomans, there was a need to enrich the water system of Famagusta and the Turks wanted to exploit for this purpose the rich water source located in the area of Panagia in Protaras. The residents, led by Papa Zacharias, resisted and the Turks arrested the priest who subsequently beheaded him as punishment and as an example. This event is placed chronologically between the years 1573-74. Thus, we can easily place the construction of the aqueduct in the mid-seventies of the 16th century.
The aqueduct consisted of a reservoir at the spring site and an above-ground constructed conduit that followed a slightly downhill course of approximately 30 kilometers, which ended in a reservoir in Famagusta. Part of this aqueduct are the Five Arches, over which the conduit passes, and were built in the bed of a local stream north of Paralimni and east of Deryneia.
About one kilometer northwest of Pente Kamara and a few meters north of the medieval church of Agia Marina, there is a section of the aqueduct on which the “footprint” of Agia Marina is located. It is a human bare foot print that the residents of the area believe is the footprint of Agia Marina and that it has healing properties.
