The Cats of Ayios Neofytos

The welcoming committee at the monastery - Ayios Neofytos

When we stayed at the Tavros Inn in Neochorio, young Mrs Dora Tavros had broken her leg and could only manage to sit at the front desk and chat to the clients. She was always accompanied by her little dog, who did not always sit patiently at her feet, and was often a yappy nuisance.  One day as we chatted to Dora, we found out that she actually lived on the other side of the island in a village called Tala, just north of Paphos.  She was telling us of a lovely monastery near her house, called Ayios Neofytos.  “Funny,” we said, “because that is on the list for a bike tour from Paphos."

Ayios Neofytos monastery - the new part

She heartily supported that idea and went on to tell us of an experience that had recently happened to her there. She had taken her dog for a walk on the monastery grounds when a car pulled up and an English couple got out. They struck the side of a tin can with a spoon and all of a sudden out of the bushes and down from the mountain and up from the ravine came the cats – hundreds of them. The couple proceeded to spoon out tinned cat food in little piles on every available stone in this dirt parking place. Dora was so afraid for her little dog that she picked him up and left right away. We thought it was a cute story but as we weren’t overly impressed with her little dog, we weren’t very sympathetic to her distress.

the cats that scare little dogs

Later in our trip, after two days of visiting the sights of the city of Paphos, we decided to ride up to the monastery of Ayios Neofytos.  Just a 25 kilometre round trip, and without the luggage it should be a piece of cake, we thought. WRONG! We had to negotiate through the ugly, busy streets of Paphos before we got to quieter roads. But those monks really did know how to choose their cave hermitage spots. The last few kilometres into the mountain location were  a steady 12 per cent and even Minas walked the bike. We were hoping this place was worth it. Finally, we were just getting to a place where we thought we could ride the rest of the way when we rounded the corner on to a dirt parking place with a sign tacked to a tree, “CAT FEEDING PLACE”.

the cats of Ayios Neofytos at the appointed cat feeding place

 There they were – the British couple and another younger woman feeding many, many, many cats. We burst out laughing which may have offended them at first but then we said, “We know all about you – we heard about you on the other side of the island.” They warmed up then and we had a lovely chat, admired the kittens, marveled at how friendly and fat the cats were – not at all like the skittish village cats we fed in Greece, and gave our donation for the food. These are just a group of Brits that have bought villas in the area (finally something good comes out of the developments) and they take it upon themselves to feed these strays and have them spayed when possible. They had stories of people dropping off lots of cats and kittens up on the mountain . 

Mama and her kittens

Someone even left a puppy who was adopted and brought up by the cats and has now has gone to a good home.  It was truly a lovely few minutes and a touching little story. They have put up a web-site too – www.talamonasterycats.com   We got on the bikes and rode the last kilometer into the monastery grounds.

the original cave hermitage of Ayios Neofytos

The monastery of Ayios Neofytos is a beautiful calm place which far exceeds the humble beginnings of the cave that Neofytos hollowed out for himself. Because he wrote so eloquently, he was unable to remain a recluse, as they journeyed from far and wide to visit, talk, stay and learn from him. The painted frescoes in the cave niches where Neofytos lived are quite lovely but they say he didn’t paint them. Those who came to live with him did.  The monastery is clearly wealthy now and a peaceful place as so many monasteries are. You can feel the spirit of the place and it calms you. And the cats – well they are here to welcome you in a sedate and regal manner as well.

a cutie - I'll take this one home

They say that Helena brought the cats to Cyprus to get rid of the snakes. The cats have multiplied rather well but judging from the road kill we ride over, the snakes haven’t diminished much in numbers.

Much later in the trip, as we were enjoying another bare bike ride to the archaeological site of Kourion near Lemesos, I requested a detour through the Akrotiri salt marsh to see the birds and to visit the monastery of St Nicolas of the Cats. 

St Nicolas' of the Cats monastery in the Akrotiri

St Nicolas - the cat lover

  

 The story goes that the monks rang a bell early in the morning to send the cats out  to hunt the snakes and rang another bell in the evening to call them in to eat. Situated next to bird sanctuary, I surmise that snakes were not the prime target of the cats as they went about their daily work. It was a nice bike ride through the Akrotiri and the monastery, now inhabited by a few elderly nuns, as well as the cats was a calm and inviting space in which to rest from the sun.

In any case, I have enjoyed seeing the well-cared -for cats of the monasteries of Cyprus. 

the end - SLEEP