The spectacular Ayia Napa Monastery, built in the 16th century, with its peaceful courtyard and marble fountain offers a calm retreat from the nightlife world of this bustling resort town.

It is probably the best known landmark of the Ayia Napa area, and it has a charm that reminds visitors of a time when Agia Napa was a simple and quiet fishing village.

It is no longer operating as a monastery and serves as frame of the Ayia Napa Festival. This is an annual festival taking place every September.

Highlights:

• A medieval monastery built in the 16th century at the site of a cave where an icon of the Virgin Mary was accidentally found by a hunter

• A quiet place that stands out against the always busy and lively atmosphere of the resort of Ayia Napa

• The setting of the annual Ayia Napa Festival