Holy Monastery of St Nicholas of the Cats
Holy Monastery of St Nicholas of the Cats things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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No, this is not a joke generated by the modern trend and popularity of cat memes! In Cyprus, in all seriousness, a cat monastery was founded. Even in Byzantine times, imperial persons for Cyprus were given cats not to raise the island’s mimimeter, but to fight against snakes. To save this formidable 'weapon', a monastery was organized, and with it a shelter. The cats coped well with their task, destroying a dangerous enemy, for which they respect and honor. Still stands the monastery of St. Nicholas on the Akrotiri peninsula, being a refuge for cats. Of course, now the population of monastic cats has decreased significantly - we caught no more than 30 heads. Having learned human habits for years, they are waiting for tourists at the parking lot at the entrance to the monastery in order to pounce on the two-legs waiting for an easy food. Those who are bolder are looking for vulnerable spots in the car in order to get there in search of bags of food; the rest are rubbing their feet, marking their new friends. Unfortunately, we don’t have a special walk around the territory of the monastery - the gates are closed, the nuns cannot be seen. It would be curious to learn about their life and the art of icon painting.
Oleg Promakhov
00
Called in after hearing about all the cats here to see for ourselves. It's free to enter, they do close for lunch and may lock the gates to eat in peace, so be aware of opening times. There is a table with various gifts for sale and an honesty box for you to leave payment. Plenty of free parking and as soon as you get out of the car there are cats all over and are likely to come up to you straight away. Next to the car park are some cabins where the cats live, interesting to look at and see how the cats are looked after. The place is tranquil and serene and a nice place to reflect. With great views of the Trodos mountains. Not much to see here but if you like cats, plenty of cats then this is the place to visit.
Mark Holman
00
I was in heaven here 😭 the cats are not dying and malnourished as other reviews state. They are wild, outdoor cats so they are not fat with perfectly maintained coats as our pet cats at home are, but I promise these cats are happy and living their lives. If they weren’t happy, they would just leave. But with that being said I recommend bringing treats or wet food for them to snack on! They are all so friendly and loving and want treats and pets! I didn’t see any other humans while I was there, you just park and walk around outside and the cats find you. It was so hard not to take them all home with me, 10/10 definitely recommend coming here if you’re a cat lover and want to be surrounded by cats
Adrienne Palm
00
FOR ALL CATS LOVERS OUT THERE PLEASE VISIT THIS PLACE!! 🐱❤️ There are lot of cats here, they are lovely and friendly but they are also hungry!! They need our help, so please when you visit bring them food (dry but especially wet food). 🙏🐱 If you can do more, please donate some money because cats need spay surgery and vaccinations (lot of them are already sterilized: you can recognize them because they are ear tipped). They say the donation box is on the right hand building, next to the entrance but is not that easy to find. They better put it next to the Cats Coin Bar to be sure the donations go to the cats and not to the nuns. Please do what you can 🙏 Thanks from a cats mum and lover ❤️
Franci TSC
00
So far one of the best places I’ve been to on Cyprus. The monastery garden is beautiful, but obviously we came for the cats. Most of them are concentrated at the parking lot. We’ve brought some wet food and snacks (I recommend doing this) and we’ve met so many sweet cats! They are in good condition, at least when we had visited - all cats looked healthy and happy. Most of the cats are very friendly, so we spent some time petting them. We came on a rainy day so the cats also spent some time drying and napping in our car (they also have two covered shelters with beds to sleep in). I loved this place and would visit a million times again.
Maria Kalynk
00
Εδώ σε τούτο το θαλασσοδαρμένο νοτιότερο ακρωτήριο της Κύπρου, Ακρωτήριο Γάτα -το μοναδικό στον κόσμο αφιερωμένο στους γάτους, Εδώ και η γυναικεία Μόνη του προστάτη των ναυτικών Αγίου Νικολάου, όπως να προστατεύει την οδό του μεγαλύτερου λιμανιού της ελεύθερης Κύπρου αλλά και όλη την ανατολική Μεσόγειο ,με την ένδοξη του ιστορία. Εδώ μετά το 327 μ.χ έφτασε το καράβι με τους γάτους για να απλώθουν σε όλη την Κύπρο, καθαρίζοντας την από την πληθώρα φιδιών που είχε γεμίσει, μετά από μακροχρόνια ανομβρία, 17 Χρόνια ,κατά κάποιους ιστορικούς 35 περίπου ,κατ'εντολη τον Αγίων Αυτοκράτορων Κωνσταντίνου και Ελένης κατά την διαδρομή τους από την Κωνσταντινούπολι προς τους Αγίους Τόπους για να βρουν τον Τιμίο Σταυρό, όπως και το κτήσιμο του Μοναστήριου . Από τότε το ακρωτήριο από 'Καργαία' ονομάστηκε Ακρωτήριο Γάτα! !!!!!! Είναι για αυτό που οπουδήποτε στην Κύπρο βλέπετε γάτους ,και ειδικά εδω ,λόγω αυτής της ιστορίας, όπου για τους Κυπρίους είναι ας πούμε ιερό και σεβαστό ζώο, καλότυχια και προστασία, κάποιοι λεν την Κύπρο και 'νήσο των γατών '.Για μεγάλη περίοδο το Μοναστήρι ήταν ανδρικό πριν την εγκατάλειψη του ,αλλά από τον Απρίλιο του 1983 ήρθαν μοναχές από την Μόνη Αγίου Γεωργίου Αλαμάνου, ανατολικά της Λεμεσού, και έκτοτε γυναικείο, με Ηγούμενη την Κασσιανή. Θεωρείται ένα από τα πρώτα αρχαία Μοναστήρια της Κύπρου .Υπάρχει και εργαστήριο Αγιογραφίας. Πολλοί Κύπριοι το επισκέπτονται ειδικά Κυριακές για την θεια λειτουργεία. Εορτή της Μονής πάντα 6 Δεκεμβρίου, του Αγίου Νικολάου. Βόρεια του η μεγάλη Αλυκή Ακρωτήριου με τα Φλάμιγκο της , όπου μέσα Νοεμβρίου πάντα αρχίζουν να έρχονται. Αυτή είναι η ένδοξη Ιστορία του Μοναστήριου .Μήν την χάσετε, επισκεφτείτε την. Καλή διαδρομή!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Γίαννης Δημητρίου
00
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