Monastery of Ayia Napa — Attraction in Ayia Napa

I have very fond memories visiting the monastery as a child and I'm was a bit disappointing to see that it was closed for renovations and after 3 years is still not open. The monastery is built on the old foundations of another small Byzantine church dedicated to Virgin Mary, and it was built in the middle of the village. When it was built in 1500 AD it was in a form of a Medieval castle. Outside the church is the famous ficus sycamore tree which is over 600 years old. November 2025 Returned to this lovely monastery and i'm was impressed how well they have restored it. Now it has a small museum with some old icons that gives you the history of the monastery, and who was Ayia Napa. Very interesting to watch the short films that they have provided. The museum is free to visit but their...

We walked down from the hill toward the Ayia Napa Monastery, and on the way we passed a beautiful new-looking church with a round dome on the right. Just before reaching the monastery entrance, there’s a huge fig tree also on the right. The figs were small and the leaves looked quite different from the usual fig trees, I wish we could learn more about the story and the variety of the tree.

A peaceful and enriching place, both culturally and spiritually. Definitely worth a visit!

I also stopped by the gift shop, where the staff was very friendly and welcoming. He introduced me to a unique type of incense made from the dragon’s blood tree, the ones found on the island of Sokotra, Yemen. He explained how it's been collected from the tree, and burned over charcoal. The smell is...

The incredibly beautiful monastery of Ayia Napa, dedicated to Our Lady of the Forests, has a fascinating history. It is in the Famagusta region now in the very centre of the modern-day town whose origins lie in the Venetian buildings that went up nearby. It was restored in 1950 and 28 years later, the former monastery became an Ecumenical Conference Centre for churches in Cyprus and the Middle East. Right now, it's a museum that houses a unique and meaningful exhibition. It is however currently still in the early development stage. The monastery grounds and Seferis Square are the venues for regular, large-scale religious and secular events: festivals, holidays,...