Monastery of Ayia Napa

The monastery of Ayia Napa is located in the homonymous village in Ammochostos District. The village got its name from the “Icon of Virgin Mary of Napes”, which means “the Saint of the woods” and thus, she was named “Ayia Napa”. This is how the village got its name, Ayia Napa, “Holy Forest”. There is not sufficient evidence as to when the Monastery was originally founded. The cave, the hiding place and the well, all testify to the existence of the Christian community, from the time of the Byzantine era. Ayia Napa was given its name before 1366. The monastery though, as it is today, is a building of the 15th century, when Cyprus was under the sovereignty of the Venetians. ©Wikipedia ©Photo: Kirillm