The medieval monastery of Ayia Napa stands in the middle of the village and was built in the form of a medieval castle around 1500 AD. The monastery is partially built underground and cut into the rock, surrounded by a high wall. It is dedicated to ‘Our Lady of the Forests’, with the name coming from the Ancient Greek word for wooded valley (Napa) as a result of the area’s past topography. The monastery was restored in 1950 and in 1978 became an Ecumenical Conference Centre, serving churches in Cyprus and the Middle East.