North Cyprus Kyrenia
The Sourpmagar Monastery
The Sourp Magar Monastery was first founded as a Coptic monastery around 1000 A.D. and it was dedicated to the Alexandrian saint Makarios. It is also referred to as the monastery of Mary. The monastery passed on to the Armenians at the beginning of the 15th century. In time, it became a stopover of the Armenian pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem -a second pilgrimage point- and continued to fulfill this function until 1974. It was also used as a summer resort by the Armenians living in Nicosia. The remains date back to the 19th century. A panel with Armenian writing has been found on its walls.
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