Klirou abstains 26 kilometres of southly-western Nicosia. The big number of ancient burials and the residues from "Arxaiki", the "Clasic" and "Roman" period where they were found in the space tour from the village, testify that the region was lived from ancientest years.

According to one version the village owes his name from the first settler or even householder of the region with the name "kliros". From the phrase "the region or the property of Kliros ", emanated the name of village.At another version the name emanated from the bird "klorkos" or Kliros because his voice appears as if it repeats the word "kliro, kliro". The local delivery reports another version, that the village owes his name of the fact that all the men residents of the village became clergymen, in some time, to fight as they believed a leathal epidemic. Variant of this version reports that a lot of residents of village became priests and monks which they generally named "Klirikoi" from where also the name of village.


Klirou as village it appears that it existed from the Byzantine period as this is testified from the many of monasteries of the region. Certain known monasteries are the "Virgin Mary of Lagni", "Saint Mamas" in the region "Kouloupades" and "Saint Marina" in the region Petaloudin. It is not excluded that there existed more monasteries as the English architect George Jeffery reports that lived for a lot of years in Cyprus and visited Klirou at the beginning of 20th century.

At the period of Maiseonas, the period fragkokratias, Leontios Mahairas reports that Klirou was fief of Thomas Ntre Montolif of Klirou that was controller at the service of king Petros of 'A (1359-1369). According to the locals at the region of Virgin Mary of Lagnis (monastery of Klirou) existed enough small villages with certain families population each one. Crysostomos Leventis (1919-2001) states that the number of villages is 14. In some of them lived also Muslim. Some village are Apliki, Lagnis, Saint Marina, Kouloupades,Sirfoukos, e.t.c. When illness came in the village, the villages they depopulated and those who rescued came to klirou, other in the Malounta and other in the Arediou.

Klirou is found in a place where in the old days it was been as a centre and a going through station for those who were traveling from Pitsilia with destination Nicosia, at a time where travels became with horses. This make contributed decisively in the swift increase of population of village. Check population here


The education at the period of Ottomans domination were limited. In Klirou the priests were those who offered education to the children. Students from Klirou traveled at the Faculty of "Chatzitheodoulio", at the village of Pera that was founded in 1863. The first municipal school at Klirou was founded at 1884.

Year	Population
1881	362
1891	437
1901	472
1911	517
1921	634
1931	671
1946	879
1960	1008
1973	1134
1976	1426
1982	1306
1992	1455
2001	1551

 

Historic Reports

 
George Jeffery, F.S.A. - Architect - 1918


"...Klirou. A large village from whence a good mule path leads to Lakhni Monastery (a mere shed building) and continues through a deligthful valley to Macheras Monastery.

All the village churches or chapels of Klirou, of which there seem to have been several, have disappeared, and a large "mono-tholos" is now in building to take their place. within this new church, dedicated to the Panayia Evangelismos, are collected the icons from the older chapels, a curius assemblage of more or less decayed specimens of byzantine painting of all periods. the iconostasion is also made up three ancient carved and glided screens of the richest workmanship, and worth examination. One of these is dated 1741..."


Rupert Gunnis - "Historic Cyprus"

"...Klirou (xxxviii). There must have been habitations here from a very early date, as the vast number of tombs which surround the village testify. the large and modern Church of the B.V.M. stands in the center of the village; the ground plan of its predecessor can still be seen to the north. the central portion of the iconostasis comes from this former building and is dated 1748. From the same source comes an early seventeenth-century icon of the Madonna.

A mile or so outside the village is the tiny monastery of the Virgin of Lakhni, a small, ancient, shed-like building surrounded by monastic ruins; it contains nothing of interest. The villagers relate that "many years ago the Turks came from the village of Aradhiou in mid-July, the hottest time of the year, and stole the beams from the roof of the church; but hardly had they left the building when the Virgin, in her wrath, sent hailstones so large that they immediately killed the animals bearing away the woodwork"..."