The courtyard
Domed fountain.
Bayreuth2009 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ivan C — CC BY 2.0 · Julez A. — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Zairon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zairon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Romeparis — CC BY-SA 3.0 · OldMuzzle — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Claus Ableiter — CC BY-SA 3.0
A medieval monastery in the heart of Ayia Napa, built around 1500 in the Venetian period, which gave the town its name. Part of it is built underground and cut into the rock, and a high wall surrounds it like a small fortress. A local legend tells of a hunter who found an icon of the Virgin Mary in a cave, and the monastery was built around the cave. «Napa» is an ancient Greek word for a wooded valley, recalling how the area once looked. The courtyard has a domed stone fountain, arched cloisters and a shady garden, and in front of the south gate stands an ancient sycamore believed to be over 600 years old. The monastery was restored in 1950 and has been a conference centre since 1978. Entry is free with modest dress. It opens daily 09:30–14:30 from November to April and until 19:00 from May to October, per the official Visit Cyprus site. It is an oasis of calm in a lively town, and 15 to 30 minutes is enough.
Domed fountain.
Centuries old.
Arched walkways.
Main square, Ayia Napa
From this Venetian-era monastery, built around 1500; «Napa» is an ancient Greek word for a wooded valley.