Agios Theodoros (Cypriot Greek: ; Cypriot Turkish: or ) is a village located in the Larnaca District of Cyprus, located about 40 km south of the capital Nicosia and 20 km west of the district's capital of Larnaca. As of the last official census in 2021, the village had a population of 727."C1. POPULATION ENUMERATED BY SEX, AGE, DISTRICT, MUNICIPALITY/COMMUNITY AND QUARTER (1.10.2021)", Population - Place of Residence, 2021, Statistical Service of the Republic of Cyprus, 2025-04-16, retrieved 2025-10-04.
Etymology The village's Cypriot Greek name, Agios Theodoros (Cypriot Greek: ) is said to have been named after the village's patron saint Saint Theodore of Tiron. It is likely that the Cypriot Turkish name for the village, Aytotoro, was a variation of the Greek name.
In some instances, the village is referred to as Agios Theodoros Skarinou (Cypriot Greek: Άγιος Θεόδωρος Σκαρίνου) referring to the nearby town of Skarinou, to distinguish itself from other villages in Cyprus called Agios Theodoros, including those in Limassol, Nicosia, Tilliria, Famagusta, and Karpasia.
In 1958, the Turkish Cypriot community adopted the alternative name for the village, Boğaziçi, meaning "strait" () or "Bosphorus".
Geography
Physical geography Agios Theodoros is located in the south-west of the island of Cyprus, at an altitude of approximately 80 meters above sea level. The land around the village is hilly in the west and flat in the east, being almost entirely agricultural due to the favourable lands surrounding the Pentaschoinos River upon which the village was built. In the past, cultivation of citrus fruits was a main occupation for many residents. The river flows directly through the town, and can be crossed by a bridge.
Although the village of Agios Theodoros is about 4 kilometers from the coastline, the municipality of the same name extends to the Mediterranean Sea, and includes several kilometers of beach and rocky coastline.
The climate of Agios Theodoros is temperate, with an average temperature of 22 °C. On average, the hottest month is August, with a daily mean of 31 °C, while the coolest is January, with a daily mean of 14 °C. The wettest month is December, with an average of 3.98 precipitation days, and the driest is July, with an average of zero precipitation days.
Urban geography Agios Theodoros is located about 41 km south of the capital Nicosia, 3 km from the nearby town of Kofinou, and 26 km southwest of the district's capital of Larnaca. Other nearby towns include Skarinou in the north, Alaminos, Anafotia, and Mazotos in the east, and Maroni, Psematismenos, Tochni, and Chrirokitia in the west.
The A1 and B1 Motorways from Nicosia to Limassol, and the A5 and B5 to Larnaca run north of the municipality.
Demographics
Several censuses have been undertaken capturing the population statistics of Agios Theodoros, namely by the Ottomans in 1833, the British in 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911, 1921, 1931, and 1946, and the Republic of Cyprus in 1960, 1973, 1976, 1982, 1992, 2001, 2011,"C1. POPULATION ENUMERATED BY SEX, AGE, DISTRICT, MUNICIPALITY/COMMUNITY AND QUARTER (1.10.2011)", Population - Place of Residence, 2011, Statistical Service of the Republic of Cyprus, 2014-04-17, archived from the original on 2014-04-20, retrieved 2014-04-20 and 2021.
In 1833, the Ottoman Property Survey of Cyprus recorded the village as a mixed village, containing 64 households. The 'mixed' status provided for in the census referred to 'muslims' and 'non-Muslims', as opposed to the modern distinctions between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots. Of the 96 persons recorded, 49 were muslim, and 47 were non-Muslim.
Until the year 1946, the population of Turkish Cypriot to Greek Cypriot residents remained generally equivalent, however, in the 1960 and 1973 censuses the Turkish Cypriot population predominated. In 1971, Richard Patrick recorded 96 Turkish Cypriots living in the village that had been displaced from the nearby villages of Pervolia, Anafotia, and Anglisides during the island's intercommunal violence. Following the 1974 Cypriot coup d'état, and resulting Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the Turkish Cypriot population diminished entirely.
History
Early history Agios Theodoros is not mentioned on ancient maps of Cyprus, however, it has been suggested that the village was built on the ruins of the ancient settlements of Nastadia, Xeugalalio, Capno, Vasilopotamo and particularly, Pendasino, which appear on medieval maps of Cyprus. The latter was destroyed in an earthquake in 1491, and its surviving residents abandoned the area. During the Frankish period the local area was a fief, and upon the island becoming part of the Ottoman Empire, the lands were given to the military officers Lala-Mustafa Paşa and Piyale Paşa.
According to one source, the modern village was built by residents of villages on the coastline of the Agios Theodoros municipality who fled due to pirate raids. The modern location was chosen as it was hidden behind high hills and was not visible from the sea.
It has been said that during the Ottoman period, the village was home to a community of Crypto-Christians known as the Linobambaki, who were followers of the Greek Orthodox faith and persecuted for their religion. Due to this, the group chose to appear outwardly Muslim. During British rule, they were assimilated into the Turkish Cypriot community.
In 1847, a shrine to the eponymous Saint Theodoros constructed, and between 1956 and 1970 a church was constructed on the same site. The church still exists today. Other religious sites built in the village include the Saint Athanasios chapel, Agioi Anargiroi chapel, Panagia Astathkiotissa Chapel, and a Turkish Cypriot mosque.
Intercommunal violence (1960s) During Cyprus' intercommunal violence of the 1950s and 1960s, the village experienced some conflict. In December 1963, the village's Turkish Cypriot neighbourhood became controlled by the Turkish Resistance Organisation (TMT), a guerilla organisation formed to counter the pro-enosis EOKA, and became part of the Geçitkale enclave. It has been suggested that the TMT were supported by the British administration.Isachenko, Daria (2012). The Making of Informal States: Statebuilding in Northern Cyprus and Transdniestria. Palgrave Macmillan. . Pp. 38–39. In March 1964, a Swedish peacekeeping force was deployed to the region by the UNFICYP, tasked with preventing intercommunal violence. A section of these peacekeepers were stationed at Agios Theodoros.
From November 1966, the Geçitkale enclave became increasingly militarised, with TMT personnel blocking road traffic, to prevent the Cypriot police, National Guard, and in some instances, Greek Cypriots from moving freely without UN escort. In some occasions, fuel was demanded, as the local Cypriot authorities had suspended regular fuel supplies to the enclave. On 25 and 26 January 1967, two Greek Cypriot buses were stopped by TMT personnel and delayed from proceeding until local peacekeepers intervened.
Following these incidents, Greek General Georgios Grivas, commander of the National Guard ordered a battalion-sized unit supported by armoured vehicles to proceed immediately to Kofinou, in the Geçitkale enclave. Demands by UN peacekeepers for the withdrawal of the troops were unsuccessful. On 28 February 1967, the National Guard reinforced its troops in the area, and in response to the build-up and accompanying prevention of movement for local Turkish Cypriot herders, the TMT advanced and established new positions around Agios Theodoros.
In March 1967, members of the TMT clashed with UN peacekeepers in the nearby village of Kofinou, and the Cypriot police were asked to vacate the town by the UN. The National Guard however, remained, and the UN determined that this added to the instability in the region. The UN also concluded that these events were conducted by rogue TMT members who did not follow the orders of their superiors.
In July 1967, four shootings occurred in the village, and in September, Cypriot police began to patrol the village. The TMT were reported as threatening and abusing the police and their UN escorts. On 13 November, President Makarios, General Grivas, and the Minister of the Interior Epameinondas Komodromos expressed to Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, José Rolz-Bennett and the UNFICYP Commander, their deep concern at the situation regarding police patrols in Agios Theodoros. The UN personnel strongly recommended that the police patrols be postponed, however, the Cypriot Government disagreed, and sent two police patrols to the town, one from the north and one from the south. On 14 November 1967, the local National Guard commander informed the local head of the UNFICYP of the planned patrols, requesting their protection for the police. When the UN disagreed with the plan, assessing that the conditions were not appropriate for a show of force against the TMT, the National Guard, led by General Grivas, accompanied the police. The patrols proceeded without incident.
Operation Gronthos
On 15 November 1967, General Grivas launched "Operation Gronthos".Famagusta News (14 November 2017). The bloody clash between the National Guard and the Turkish Cypriots in the village of Kofinou that paved the way to Attila and the intervention of the Americans. Retrieved 4 October 2025. At 10am, another police patrol escorted by the National Guard moved towards the village without difficulty, with Turkish Cypriots removing a tractor blocking the entrance to the village without any coercion from the police or National Guard. At 2pm, another patrol began of the village, now accompanied by an infantry platoon of the Special Forces Command. Upon reaching the northern entrance to the village, the patrol found a tractor and plow blocking the road. Upon reaching the obstacle, the TMT fired three shots and a burst of automatic fire at the patrol, and a firefight broke out between the two groups. Killings of Turkish Cypriot civilians and looting were reported to have been committed by Grivas' troops. By the evening, the conflict had ceased and the National Guard took control of the village. In doing so, the National Guard went from house to house removing all civilians and moving them outside of the village. Simultaneously, a similar conflict broke out at Kofinou.