Ayia Napa Monastery, the medieval heart of the town

The monastery is the reason Ayia Napa exists, and the odd thing is that today it stands beside the square at the heart of the town’s nightlife. Stepping into its courtyard first thing is another world. Here’s its story and what to see. For the wider town, see Ayia Napa.

The cave of the icon

The legend is told by Visit Famagusta, the area’s tourism portal. A hunter chasing his prey found a miraculous icon of the Virgin in a cave, which became known as the Virgin of Napa and eventually gave the town its name. The word napa, it seems, once meant a wooded valley, since forest used to cover the area. A small chapel on a nearby hill marks, by tradition, the place where the Virgin rested.

The same website explains that the monastery’s cave, hiding place and ancient well prove there was a Christian community here from Byzantine times, around the 11th century.

What to see at Ayia Napa monastery

The monastery, dedicated to the Virgin, is built partly underground and carved into the rock, and it has recently been restored. The first part of the church dates from the Frankish period, in the 13th and 14th centuries, and the rest was completed in the 15th, so what you see today mostly reflects the Venetian-era design. Another page on the same website dates it to 1100, so I treat that date with caution.

A huge sycamore grows at the southern entrance which, according to Visit Famagusta, is believed to be the oldest in Cyprus, and the courtyard has a marble fountain carved with garlands. The old aqueduct that supplied the monastery still stands nearby, with Frankish-era work built over a Roman line.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Ayia Napa for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

Seferis and the square

The monastery has had distinguished visitors, and the one most often mentioned is the Greek poet Giorgos Seferis, a Nobel laureate, who wrote the poem Ayia Napa B’ here, included in his Logbook III.

In front, on the square, stands the I Love Ayia Napa stone sculpture by Yianni Yianni, one of the most photographed spots in town. The square is also the centre of the nightlife, so if you want quiet, go in the morning, when the courtyard and the sycamore are at their most peaceful.

Getting there

It’s right in the centre and easy to reach on foot. OSEA’s circular routes 201 and 202 stop on Ayia Napa square, and a daytime single costs €2. The Thalassa Museum and the harbour are a few minutes away. I haven’t found visiting hours from a permitted official source, so ask when you arrive. For somewhere to stay, see hotels in Ayia Napa.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Ayia Napa Monastery on GetYourGuide.

If you would rather go at your own pace, see the car hire deals in Ayia Napa: the earlier you book, the more cars are left to choose from.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Ayia Napa for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.