Drapia, Cyprus


Drapia is a depopulated village in the Larnaca District of Cyprus. Since 1948, the settlements of Parsata and Drapia are included in the jurisdiction of the Ora village authority area. However the Parsada-Drapia village area is separate from the Ora village area, only joined by a thin strip of territory along the Vasilikos river long.
Drapia lies on the Kalavasos to Lageia road, about north-west of Kalavasos. To the north, it borders the village of Parsada. It lies on the east side of the Vasilikos river
and the village area is dissected by its minor tributaries.
The Hellenic Mining Company began exploitation of copper in the Kalavasos-Asgata area in 1937 and the mining company employed many local inhabitants. A number of the miners resided in Drapia. The village was substantially abandoned after the closure of the copper mines in 1978.
While the mines were in operation, the mining company ran a railway to transport material from Drapia to the port at Vasiliko. The marshalling yard was south-west of the village in the valley of the Vasilikos river, within the Drapia village area, close to the present Kalavasos dam. The railway was built in 1937-1938 and was long.
Historical documents refer to the village and its church being in existence from the Venetian period. The village church is dedicated to St. George.

Population

Population according to the Census and other sources
DateHousesMalesFem.Total Pop.
157213
161216
167212
18311014
18814111021
18911416521
1901910111
1911510313
192136410
19319131225
1976224
19953
20157

N.B. Drapia was included with Kalavasos for the 1946 and 1960 censuses. Later it was included with Ora.