Situated at the tip of the stunning Karpaz Panhandle, on a point known as the Cape of Saint Andrea, this intriguing monastery is dedicated to Saint Andrew (Apostle Andreas). According to the Bible, St. Andrew was the first person to be called for induction to priesthood by Christ, and it was on this spot that St. Andrew briefly disembarked in Cyprus on his final missionary crossing back to his Palestinian homeland. On the bust in the courtyard of the monastery, the building is stated to have been constructed by Pope Ionnis Oicoromus. Both Turkish and Greek Cypriots consider the Monastery a holy place today and it is therefore is visited by many people for votive prayers.
The contents of the monastery are also significant and the United Nations has declared it a World Heritage site. The room under the modern church, in which there are wells containing drinking water, is thought to have been a chapel belonging to the old monastery buildings. In the courtyard today there is also a lively market from which you can buy fresh food and vegetables and an array of other interesting wares.
