In the 1920s going to Ayios Dometios was like visiting a village in the outskirts of Nicosia, and Rupert Gunnis, ADC to Sir Ronald Storrs, loved excursions:
Took Mary and Lucy fossil hunting in the morning and collected quite a lot of them. In the afternoon to the village of St Demetios to the christening of my corporal’s (Charalambi) child. We all assembled at his house and walked to the church. I was the godfather, but owing to ecclesiastical dogma I was not allowed to partake much in the ceremony. Lazarus, my servant doing it for me. The parents of the child are not allowed to the church. It is a long service and total immersion of the baby. I processed round the front with a candle in my hand. Then we all walked in procession through the streets of the village to the house, the four priests leading and chanting, I, still with a candle in my hand. All to the house where we had a great reception, tea and a good deal of hand-shaking. Then to see the old church of the village, St Demetios, very attractive, one nice icon with donors at the corner.