Olive trees burned in fire in north on Sunday were established under Frankish rule

A twelfth century olive grove badly damaged by wildfires in the north on Sunday was the first designated grove established under Frankish rule.

Archaeologist Anna Marangou on Tuesday explained the historical significance of the Kapouti area and the olive grove, which she said was named Demadonna, meaning belonging to the Virgin Mary.

She said many of the trees had names including Athina, The Queen, Aphrodite, and The King, which was burnt in the fire and was one of the oldest trees in the area.

The Demadonna grove was once thriving with life, and was important during the Frankish rule, the Venetian rule, and the Ottoman rule, Marangou said.

She added there were the ruins of two churches in the grove, where wild orchids bloom every year.

The area, she said, is protected and was fenced off and supplied with an irrigation system by EU funds.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.