Overview
Located between Ayia Napa and Sotira village, Ayia Thekla is a charming white and blue chapel that looks out to sea with no other nearby buildings. Nearby and towards the sea is the Ayia Thekla Cave Church, a small cave or rock carved tomb known as the catacomb of Ayia Thekla which can be accessed by steps. It is believed that the cave was turned into a place of worship by early Christians before the new church was built. Archaeologists believe that there was an ancient settlement or a cemetery in the same area.
The beach of the area is named after the chapel whose picturesque scenery calls for numerous wedding ceremonies. Civil weddings can also be arranged with the Municipality of Sotira. The doors of the chapel are open all the day and there are not any entrance fees.
The story of Saint Thekla starts with her birth in Asia Minor. When she heard the teaching of St. Paul she abandoned her fiance and followed the Apostle. She was captured and suffered horrible tortures but she survived and found refuge in mount Kalamon until her 90 years. The chapel of Ayia Thekla was built to honor the saint and it used to be a monastery for women until 1937. The remains of the older grotto – church date back to the 4th century.
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