Kato Koutrafas is located approximately 38 km southwest of the capital city. It spreads along the western bank of the River Elias, on an altitude of 185 metres.
Located within its administrative borders and more specifically in the southwestern edge is the Mantres housing, of which only very few ruined houses are salvaged.
Strolling along Koutrafas one encounters grain, fruit and vegetable cultivations, houses built with adobe bricks, as well as a church dedicated to Panagia (Virgin Mary).
Historical information
According to the Great Cyprus Encyclopedia, the village has existed ever since the Frankish occupation and in fact it was known by the same name, “Cutrafa”. De Mas Latrie mentions that the village used to be a fief owned by the counts of Edessa, which, as of the middle of the 15th century, was owned by a nobleman named Naves. Karouzis adds that on a manuscript by Leimonidas, Kato Koutrafas is said to have been owned by Count De Rousha.
Naming
Koutrafas is the name of two neighbouring villages. The first one is known as Kato Koutrafas, while the second one as Pano Koutrafas. Pano Koutrafas was a Turkish Cypriot village that was abandoned in 1964, after the bi-communal unrest.
What is worth mentioning is that the first village to be named Koutrafas was renamed into Kato Koutrafas in approximately the 17th century, when the Turks founded a small housing near it. This new housing was named Pano Koutrafas.
Regarding the naming of the village, the Great Cyprus Encyclopedia mentions the following:
Nearchos Clerides links the name of the village to the last name of its first settler, who used to like “koutrouvin”, meaning the flower of the caper. However, the Great Cyprus Encyclopedia considers this interpretation to be farfetched.
The name of the village could be linked to the surname of the family which owned the area during the Frankish occupation. In particular, the word “cutra” derives from the Latin word “sccultra” (forehead, head).
The other version links the name of the village to the Byzantine period. In particular, it refers to the link between the word “cutra” (head) and the name of the village.
| Year |
Number |
| 1881 |
71 |
| 1891 |
25 |
| 1901 |
8 |
| 1911 |
55 |
| 1921 |
64 |
| 1931 |
130 |
| 1946 |
30 |
| 1960 |
76 |
| 1973 |
58 |
| 1976 |
56 |
| 1982 |
45 |
| 2001 |
14 |
Population
From 1881 until 2001, as this is presented in the above table, the populating course of Kato Koutrafas fluctuated significantly. What must also be mentioned is that the number of residents recorded in 1881 also includes the residents of Pano Koutrafas, while the number recorded in 1982 includes the residents of the Mantres settlement. From 1973 onwards, the population of Kato Koutrafas has continually decreased.
Source: Great Cyprus Encyclopedia, Philokypros Publications, Nicosia 1987
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