Apostolos Andreas Monastery

Apostolos Andreas
Απόστολος Ανδρέας / Apostolos Andreas Manastırı
The location of Apostolos Andreas Monastery
Basic information
Location	Karpass Peninsula, Cape Apostolos Andreas
Geographic coordinates	35°41′41″N 34°35′08″E / 35.69466°N 34.58556°E / 35.69466; 34.58556Coordinates: 35°41′41″N 34°35′08″E / 35.69466°N 34.58556°E / 35.69466; 34.58556
Affiliation	Greek Orthodox Church
Rite	Byzantine Rite
District	Famagusta District
Country	Cyprus (de jure)  Northern Cyprus (de facto)
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Monastery
Status	Active
Patron	Andrew the Apostle

Apostolos Andreas Monastery (Turkish: Apostolos Andreas Manastırı; Greek: Απόστολος Ανδρέας) is a monastery situated just south of Cape Apostolos Andreas, the north-easternmost point of the island of Cyprus, in Rizokarpaso in the Karpass Peninsula. The monastery is dedicated to Saint Andrew and is an important site for the Cypriot Orthodox Church. It was once known as 'the Lourdes of Cyprus', served not by an organized community of monks but by a changing group of volunteer priests and laymen. Both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities consider the monastery a holy place. As such it is visited by many people for votive prayers. The contents of the monastery are also noteworthy.

The traditional story of the monastery's founding says that, during a journey to the Holy Land, the ship transporting Saint Andrew went off course and struck rocks here. On coming ashore, Andrew hit the rocks with his staff, at which point a spring gushed forth. The waters proved to have healing powers and restored the sight of the ship's captain who had been blind in one eye. Thereafter, the site became a place of pilgrimage. A fortified monastery stood here in the 12th century, from which Isaac Comnenus negotiated his surrender to Richard the Lionheart. In the 15th century, a small chapel was built close to the shore. The church of the main monastery dates to the 18th century, while the main buildings are 100 years later.

Mass pilgrimage, however, is only comparatively recent, dating back to the 20th century. The story is told that in 1895 the son of Maria Georgiou was kidnapped. Seventeen years later, Saint Andrew appeared to her in a dream, telling her to pray for her son's return at the monastery. Living in Anatolia, she embarked on the crossing to Cyprus on a very crowded boat. Telling her story during the journey, one of the passengers, a young Dervish priest became more and more interested. Asking if her son had any distinguishing marks, and on hearing of a pair of birthmarks, he stripped off his clothes to reveal the same marks, and mother and son were reunited.