Flassou is a small village in the area Solia in Nicosia. It is situated around 3 kilometers northwest of Evrichou. The small community of Flassou is built in the valley of the river Karkotis in an average altitude of 330 meters.
The community has two main neighborhoods: the Pano (above) Flassou and the Kato (below) Flasou. Turkish-Cypriots used to live in Pano Flassou and Greek-Cypriots in Kato Flassou. The whole area is about 494 hectares.
The average annual rainfall is 375 mm. The main cultivations are citrus fruits, vegetables (mainly potatoes and peas), olive trees, cereals, forage plants, legumes and almond trees.
A road on the northwest of the village unites Flassou with Linou (1kilometer) and another road on the southeast unites it with Evrychou (around 3 kilometers).
In the official population census of 1881 the inhabitants of Kato Flassou and Pano Flassou were 311. In 1891 the inhabitants of Kato Flassou became 229 and in 1901 they increased to 244. In 1911 the inhabitants of Pano and Kato Flassou were counted together and their number was 285. In 1921 the inhabitants of Kato Flassou were 301 (275 Greek-Cypriots and 26 Turkish-Cypriots) but in 1931 they decreased to 262 (252 Greek-Cypriots and 10 Turkish-Cypriots). In the census of 1946, 1960 and 1973 the two parts of the village were counted together. In 1946 they were 677 (552 Greek-Cypriots and 125 Turkish-Cypriots) and decreased to 525 in 1960 (427 Greek-Cypriots and 97 Turkish-Cypriots and one person of other nationality). After 1964, the Turkish-Cypriots moved from Flassou in other villages of the island because of the fights that followed the Turkish revolt. The strict instructions of Ankara defined that theTurkish-Cypriots should create pillars of strength. In 1973 the inhabitants of the two villages were 366 (all of them Greek-Cypriots). After the Turkish invasion in 1974, many Greek-Cypriot refugees went in Flassou in order to find a new place to live. Thus, the number of the inhabitants of the village increased for a short period but in 1976 the refugees begun to leave. The number of the population in 1976 was 462 but in 1982 they became 379. In the last population census of 2001 the number of the inhabitants was only 254.
The “dichotomy” of the two villages is relatively recent. In medieval and in later sources there are reports for one and only village, which was probably the Pano Flassou. Even the map of De Mas Latrie which was made in 1862 demonstrates one village.
The village existed in the Medieval Years as a feud and it had the same name. De Mas Latrie mentioned it with the names: Flace, Flasso and Phlasso. In other maps of older times the village was referred to as Flaso and Fluso.
There is also a report that says that the village during the Frankocracy belonged to the rich family De Flasse (De Flasso). A member of this family was Bartholomew-De-Flasse. Thus, it was believed that the village was named after the family that owned the village.
But there is also another version which claims that the village was named after the first inhabitant of the village, Vlasos. So it is said that the name of the village was Vlasou. We believe that the village was established during the Byzantine era and it was named after Saint Vlasios (there are three Saints with the same name but we are not sure who gave his name to the village)
In conclusion, we assume that the name of the village was modified through time and became Flasou from Vlasou.
The two churches of the village are dedicated to Agios Dimitrianos (an old church which was rebuilt and it has no archaeological value) and Agios Georgios (a small church which was built in 1722). There are also some other churches in the two villages. For more information concerning the churches, go to the relevant link.
Some reports claim that during Francocracy, the village administratively belonged to the area of Pentagia and in later times to the “royal” Marathasa. Thus we conclude that the village belonged for a period to the royal family of Cyprus.
There are some indications which show that the area was populated since the Hellenistic times in a location somewhere between Pano and Kato Flassou. Hadjipetros Voskos who was killed by the Turks in 10.7.1821 in Nicosia. According to Kipiadis, Hadjpetros Voskos was a member of the Philiki Etairia (“Friendly Brothrhood”). He was arrested by the Turks while carrying some letters of the Brotherhood to the Archbishop of Cyprus Kiprianos.
In the beginning of our century the railway leading to Evrichou passed from Flassou.
