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Local Information - Bellapais Village (Bellapais Man...
Bellapais Village (Bellapais Manastiri)
Bellapais village can be seen towering above Kyrenia, directly south into the hills, about four miles from the Harbour.
There are some superb restaurants in the village, most notably The Tree of Idleness, The Abbey Bell Tower Restaurant and (confusingly!), The Abbey Restaurant (situated in the grounds of the Abbey itself, with beautiful views, particularly from the 'balcony table, which has only two seats and is perched precariously over the side of the Abbey walls; book it if you can!!)
Bellapais Abbey Bellapais Abbey, the former monastery, is situated in Bellapais village. It was constructed between 1198 and 1205. Bellapais Abbey derives from the French "abbey de la paix" which means the Peace Monastery. The initial building was constructed between 1198 and 1205. The main building was built during the 13th century A.D. by the monks of the Order of St. Augustine. The pavilions around the courtyard and the refectory were constructed during the rule of King Hugh IV between 1324 and 1359. You can also visit here the Ancient Greek Orthodox Church of Mother Mary White Dressed.
Lawrence Durrell used to live in Bellapais and used to sit around under a large shady tree with the other Cypriot menfolk watching the world go by. This shady tree was nicknamed the "Tree of Idleness" by the locals. These days it is immortalised by a cafe/restaurant of the same name. Whether the tree outside is the same tree is hotly open to debate. So we'm guessing the cafe isn't authentic either! Anyhow, it's a good place to get a drink as you leave the Abbey to walk up to see Lawrence Durrell's old house which is further up the hill.
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