Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Holy Monastery of St Nicholas of the Cats
CHURCH
(
h
8am-2pm & 3-6.30pm)
This monastery was founded in AD 327 by the first Byzantine governor of Cyprus,
Kalokeros, and patronised by St Helena, mother of Constantine the Great. A delightful
small chapel here dating from the 13th century has noteworthy icons painted by the ori-
ginal two nuns in residence. The actual monastery building has received a modern (and
somewhat bland) refurbishment. You can buy the sisters' preserves, jams, honey and
sweets, plus bags of oranges when in season.
There's a curious story behind the monastery's name. At the time of construction the
Akrotiri Peninsula, and indeed the whole of Cyprus, was in the grip of a severe drought
and was overrun with poisonous snakes, so building a monastery was fraught with practic-
al difficulties. A large shipment of cats was therefore brought in from Egypt and Palestine
to combat the reptilian threat. A bell would call the cats to meals and the furry warriors
would then be dispatched to fight the snakes. These days, the many cats you'll find snooz-
ing in the shade of the monastery colonnades far outnumber the six solitary sisters who
now look after the place.
Positioned on the edge of the salt lake with its back to the Sovereign Base Area (SBA)
fence, the monastery can be reached by a good dirt road from Akrotiri or via a not-so-ob-
vious route west from Lady's Mile Beach.
