Bellapais is a pretty village set high in the Five Finger Mountains of Northern Cyprus. Its most famous site is the Bellapais Monastery, sometimes called the Bellapais Abbey. The name Bellapais probably derives from the French “Abbaye de la paix” meaning ‘Monastery of Peace'.
The Bellapais Monastery was founded by Augustinian monks, who came to Cyprus from Jerusalem, and who began constructing the first buildings here in 1198. The Lusignan King Hugh III built much of what can be seen today between 1267 and 1284, whilst the courtyard pavilions and magnificent Gothic refectory were added by his success King Hugh IV by 1359.
The Monastery rose to prominence after a wealthy knight known as Roger the Norman left them a gift of an important religious relic, a supposed fragment of the True Cross. Pilgrims flocked to the Bellapais Monastery to see the relic, spend some time in retreat, and give a generous donation at the end of their stay. However, when the Genoese invaded in 1373, the monastery's treasury was plundered and the precious relic stolen. This marked a rapid decline in the monastery's fortunes - and the morals of the monks, who took wives and let the great building fall into decay.
When the Ottomans invaded, the monastery was given to the Greek Orthodox Church, who built the 13th century abbey church that you can still visit today. The monks disappeared, integrating into the local village life, and it is said that some families who live in Bellapais today are descended from those monks.
Much of the Bellapais Monastery now consists of picturesque ruins with great Gothic arches and towering stone walls, it is well worth a visit and the views from the Abbey overlooking Kyrenia are fantastic.