Until about 30 years ago,
Agia Napa was a serene little fishing village with a scenic view over its harbour. Once the Turkish occupied Varosha, a neighbourhood in Agia Napa which was home to Greek Cypriots, and the resort was closed, Agia Napa transformed itself into what it is today, an entertainment and club destination and a premier bathing resort. Agia Napa now is considered second only to Ibiza with regards to importance and reputation of the music and entertainment scene, and is quite popular with young Scandanavian and British adults.
While Agia Napa now features resorts, hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, and cafes, which for many are the primary reason for choosing it as a holiday destination, the area also has a rich and diverse history and a myriad of archaeological sites for the more intellectually inclined. The town hall is the location of the
Maritime Life Museum, which primarily features a wide range of marine life and plants on display, along with interesting shells and exhibits of a maritime nature.
The
Monastery of Agia Napa, of 16th century Venetian construction, is an extremely interesting location to explore. Originally, back in the 8th century, an early church had been built on the site, carved into the rock, and known as The Church of the Holy Virgin of the Forest. According to legend, a hunter was out in the forest with his hunting dogs, and one of the dogs led him to a spring. At the location, the hunter found a sacred icon of Mary which had been lost for 700 years. The belief arose that the spring had healing spiritual powers, and the monastery was soon built. Villagers continued to make use of the monastery church after the region fell to the Turks and the Venetian monks fled from the monastery. Uniquely, the monastery church is the only church on the island with a freestandign belfry. The church is partly underground, having been built in a grotto, and the archway entrance leads one down into a warren of shrines, passageways, grottos, and niches. Excepting winter months, weekly mass is celebrated on Sundays for both the Anglican faith and the Roman Catholic faith, at 11am and 5pm respectively. The centerpiece of the monastery's courtyard is a fountain, octagon-shaped and built during the Renaissance, surrounded by four stone columns supporting a dome over it. Close by, water flows from a carved marble edifice, supplied by an aqueduct from Roman times. The monastery now is the site of the
World Council of Churches Ecumenical Conference Centre.
The southeastern tip of Cyprus,
Cape Greco, is a rugged rock cliff towering over the sea. Dozens of coves and undersea caverns abound, and the crystal clear waters make this location extremely popular with both snorkellers and divers. Numerous shipwrecks litter the seabed, including a 15th century Genoese treasure ship. The entire area is a protected nature reserve, and features many unique and interesting limestone formations. There are two archeological sites nearby, featuring a Hellenic temple of Aphrodite and a Roman temple of Diana. The walk along the shore towards Protaras will lead you past a small bay and ancient quarry before coming across the
Agi Anargyri Church. The view from the Church over the Bay and nearby hotel is stunning.
