Frenaros was named after the Fremenors, a group of Lusignan monks who lived in a nearby monastery.[2] The earliest recorded reference to the village dates back to 1498, during the country's Venetian period.[2] According to Venetian documents, the village was split into two villages whose names roughly translated to "Lower Frenaro" and "Upper Frenaro".[2] The 1565 census marked the final instance of Frenaros being recorded as two separate villages rather than the single entity it is today.[2] The village is named "Frinaria" on Venetian maps, first on a 1570 map by Giacomo Franco, with this name continuing on Venetian maps until 1785.[3] The first mention of the village's name as "Frenaros" came from a 1738 map by English traveller Richard Pococke.[3] In 1925, Swedish archeologist Einar Gjerstad uncovered evidence that the village was inhabited as early as the Neolithic period.[4] During the early 20th century, English curator George H. E. Jeffery recorded the village's name as "Phrenaros" based on an 1888 map by Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener; this spelling is still occasionally used today despite the first modern Greek-language map of the area reverting it to "Frenaros".[3]
In September 1958, Frenaros native and local primary school teacher Fotis Pittas became a famous name across the island when he was murdered by British soldiers during the Cyprus Emergency.[5][6] On the night of 1 September, Pittas travelled to neighbouring Liopetri to join three of his fellow EOKA members in a six-hour battle with over 200 members of the Royal Ulster Rifles; the conflict, now known as the Battle of Liopetri, ended when the British soldiers trapped the four men in a barn and burned it down.[6] This resulted in Colonel Georgios Grivas ending a truce that had been in effect for a month.[7] There is a bust of Pittas in the centre of Frenaros.[6] The barn in Liopetri is now a national monument and includes a bronze statue of the four men.[8][9]
Frenaros has two churches that date back to the 12th century; one of them, the Church of Archangel Michael, was built as a tribute to the other, now called the Old Church of Archangel Michael.[10] The newer church is situated directly next to the older and much smaller one, which is closed to the public.[10] The village has its own football team, Frenaros FC 2000, whose home ground is Frenaros Community Stadium.[11] The stadium also hosts music concerts and events such as the annual Watermelon Festival, which attracts attendees from the surrounding areas.[12] There is a large industrial estate on the outskirts of the village.[13]
Frenaros and several nearby villages are collectively known as the Kokkinochoria (Κοκκινοχώρια), which translates to "red villages" due to their nutrient-densered soil in which various fruits and vegetables are grown, especially potatoes that are extremely popular across the island.[14] Frenaros in particular is noted for its production of potatoes and watermelons, which contributed greatly to the village's growth and economy.[13]
