We are preparing for a trip to the monastery of St. Thecla in Cyprus. Church of St. Thecla Equal to the Apostles in Ayia Napa Cyprus Convent of St. Thecla

Convent of St. Thekla is located near the highway leading to the capital of Cyprus, Nicosia, in the village Mosfiloti(Mosfilioti). If you are staying in Ayia Napa or Protaras and are planning a trip to Kykkos, then the path will pass by this monastery.

A short story about Saint Thecla and the monastery in Cyprus named after her

Saint Thekla (Agia Thekla, Αγία Θέκλα) lived at a time when the apostles, after the death and resurrection of Christ, preached his teachings in the cities and villages of the Mediterranean. This was around the middle of the 1st century. Fate brought Thekla together with the Apostle Paul in the Asia Minor city of Iconium, where she lived. We will continue the story about Thekla and Pavel a little later, but for now we will approach the gates of the monastery.

We have been here several times, moreover, in different seasons. The monastery has the most attractive appearance... in winter, when it is all in flowers. “A prosperous monastery” - these words just beg to fall from your lips.

But let's return to Thekla. She was so greatly shocked by Paul's sermons that she even decided to bribe her way into prison, where he was taken precisely because of them. By the way, the Apostle Paul later visited Cyprus with sermons, and stayed there for quite a long time. But Thekla has never been to Cyprus, which, however, does not prevent today’s Cypriots from especially revering her.

Let's see what Thekla and this monastery named after her have in common. Thekla is popularly called a healer. Tradition says that she knew how to heal people who came to her from various ailments. Moreover, she did it for free, which brought upon herself the wrath of not so altruistic-minded people of that time. However, you can read about Thekla’s life in, but for now let’s return to the monastery.

According to legend, it was built on the spot where Saint Helena discovered a healing spring. We remember that Helen lived in the 4th century, and the monastery here was built only in the 15th century, presumably in 1471. The first documentary mentions of it are known only from the 18th century. In 1744, the church was built, which was a single-nave basilica. At that time the monastery was for men. The iconostasis of the monastery appeared later, in the middle of the 18th century. Most of the icons belong to the brush of the famous Cypriot icon painter Philaret. Let's take a look at the iconostasis in the temple.

Main icon of St. Thekla was painted by another icon painter Ioannikis in 1806. Its rich silver frame was made somewhat later. This icon of Saint Thekla is especially revered in Cyprus.

But, as happened with more than one monastery in Cyprus, at the beginning of the 20th century it fell into disrepair. And only in 1991 its modern revival began. Several nuns from the monastery of St. George Alamanu settled here. Today there are ten nuns in the monastery. Well, it’s clear that the monastery is now a women’s monastery.

Holy spring and healing clay

So let’s continue the thought about the healer Thekla, as well as about the source discovered, according to legend, by Saint Helena. The same legend says that the spring had healing properties.

Now it becomes clear why this monastery is named in honor of St. Thekly. They have one thing in common - the ability to heal people. The spring passes through healing clay, which helps cope with skin diseases. This clay can be collected here completely free of charge, which is what the Cypriots themselves use on occasion, as well as numerous visitors who sometimes specially come here just for this purpose. If you come here on your own, look for an inconspicuous door leading to a “clay well.” This is what she looks like.

One of the routes of individual excursions we offer for the “residents” of Ayia Napa and Protaras runs through this monastery. The "water" spring is located opposite this entrance. It's hard not to notice, especially if you were brought by bus.

And finally, let’s say that in the shop (agora) of the monastery of St. Thekla, as well as in many other monasteries, you can buy goodies made from “agricultural crops” grown in the surrounding lands, as well as church utensils. Or you can simply take a walk outside the monastery and wander through the orange grove, watching the fruits of the new harvest ripen.

For now, look at the photos in our photo album, and then we will tell you how to get there.

Photo album

Time to visit

Daily: 06:00 - 12:00, 15:00 - 19:00

How to get there

No matter where you are moving from Cyprus, your path lies towards Nicosia. But these paths are slightly different, so let’s explain in more detail. Westerners (Paphos, Limassol) need to take the highway towards Larnaca. Next there will be a fork, which is difficult to miss, at which the road splits for those who are going to Larnaca and for those who want to get to Nicosia. Following the sign, keep to the right. After about 14 kilometers or so there will be an exit to the village of Mosfilioti. That's where we go left. Having made a small semicircle, we come across a road on which we need to turn right. You don’t have to remember it, but just look at the brown sign that will lead you in the direction of the monastery. After a kilometer you will come to a roundabout where you need to turn right and literally immediately, after about seventy meters, you need to turn left onto the road leading to the monastery. All you have to do is drive 500 meters - and you are already in the parking lot in front of the monastery.

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Cyprus monastery of St. Thekla “At a young age, I fell ill with a serious skin disease - a rash on my legs, from which I experienced severe pain when walking. I went to doctors, they prescribed me ointments, nothing helped. Once, when I was returning from Stavrovuni with my brother Vasily - and we always traveled from Lisi to Stavrovuni on foot - we made a stop at the holy monastery of St. Thekla to venerate her holy relics. There we collected clay from the spring of St. Thekla, and I anointed my feet with it. When we arrived in Laspi, all the rash on my legs disappeared without a trace.”

The island of Cyprus has been called the “island of saints” since ancient times. To this day, Orthodox pilgrims flock from all over the world to venerate the tomb of Lazarus the Four-Days in Larnaca and the Cross of the Lord in the Stavrovouni monastery, to pray before the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, according to legend written by the Apostle Luke himself, in the Kykkos monastery, to kiss the relics of the martyrs Cyprian and Justina in the temple Saint Cyprian in Meniko. But few pilgrims know that in Cyprus, to this day, the relics of the First Martyr Thekla, a disciple of the Apostle Paul, who suffered in the 1st century and was revered more than all the holy women in the ancient Church, are miraculously preserved.

Saint Thekla came “from a noble and glorious family” and lived in the Asia Minor city of Iconium. At the age of eighteen, when she was already betrothed to the young man Thamir, the Apostle Paul came to Iconium with an evangelical sermon and taught about Christ. The seed of the word of God fell on good soil. Through the action of the Holy Spirit, it was deeply rooted in the heart of Thekla, who, without hesitation, left everything earthly and turned her gaze to the Heavenly Bridegroom Christ. Thamir, having lost his bride, accused Paul of sorcery and sorcery before the local ruler. The apostle was imprisoned.

She followed the Apostle Paul to Antioch, where she was again captured and thrown to be devoured by wild animals, and then by snakes and vipers, but neither of them harmed her. The ruler, in fear, released the saint, and she withdrew to a mountain near the city of Seleucia, where she settled in a cave.

It follows from them that at the end of the 18th century the monastery was for men, had a small number of inhabitants, and had land. The construction of a single-nave basilica and cell monastery buildings dates back to this time.

In 1806, the Spanish traveler Ali Bey (1767-1818) saw in the monastery one monk and several workers who cultivated the monastery's land plots. Two other travelers, the Englishmen Henry Light and William Turner, visited the monastery a few years later, in 1814 and 1815. In their notes they write about the incredible poverty that struck the entire rural population of the island during the years of Turkish rule (1571-1878). Both of them report that they met only one priest, “absolutely ignorant of everything except the liturgy, which, however, he did not know how to read, but learned by heart.”

I went to doctors, they prescribed me ointments, nothing helped. Once, when I was returning from Stavrovuni with my brother Vasily - and we always made the journey from Lisi to Stavrovuni on foot - we made a stop at the holy monastery of St. Thekla to venerate her holy relics. There we collected clay from the spring of St. Thekla, and I anointed my feet with it. When we arrived in Laspi, all the rash on my legs disappeared without a trace.”

Another miracle: “With the help of God’s grace and the prayers of my spiritual father, I will tell you about one miracle that, thanks to the intercession of Saint Thekla, He performed for me, a sinner. I suffered for about two years. I had severe skin rashes on both arms. I went to doctor P.S., but he said: “This disease is incurable, I’ll give you cauterization, try to cauterize them.” When I burned them, new rashes appeared on the skin. On September 24, the day when the Church celebrates the memory of Saint Thekla, I went and celebrated the liturgy in her monastery in Mosfiloti. It was a resurrection. After the service, we made a religious procession with the icon of the saint. By the grace of God, I received communion that day. Before leaving, I smeared clay on my hands and since then I have been completely healed and I thank the Lord and Saint Thekla for this, because I believe that the healing occurred through her intercession.”

The material was prepared from the book: The Sacred Monastery of St. Thekla. Edition of the sacred monastery of St. Thekla (Mosfiloti-Larnaca), 1998 (in modern Greek).

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The Monastery of the First Martyr Thekla is located near the village of Mosfiloti, a few tens of kilometers from Larnaca.

The biography of Saint Thekla, in whose name the monastery was consecrated, says that she was born into a noble family and was exceptionally beautiful. After the engagement, Thekla had a chance to hear the sermon of the Apostle Paul, which impressed her so much that the girl refused to get married, deciding to devote herself to serving Christ. The groom accused Paul of witchcraft, the apostle was captured and imprisoned, where Thekla entered him that same night. For three days the girl sat at Paul’s feet, listening to his speeches, and on the fourth day the preacher was expelled from the city, and Thekla was sentenced to death. When the martyr ascended the fire, she saw the Savior, who blessed her for the upcoming feat, and the flame did not touch the girl’s body, and then went out completely under the sudden rain. Thanks to her miraculous salvation, Thekla was able to leave the city, catch up with Paul and accompany him, preaching, all the way to Antioch, where the Saint continued to tell people about the Lord. The pagans tried to execute Thekla several times, but she was saved each time. When the Saint was already 90 years old, and mercenaries attacked her again, Thekla prayed for help, and the open mountain accepted her.

A monastic monastery dedicated to the First Martyr arose on the outskirts of the village of Mosfiloti thanks to Queen Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine. The legend, published by William Turner in his Travels in the Levant in 1815, says that while traveling in Cyprus, the queen and her companions stopped for the night in a picturesque area, but did not find water in it and began to suffer from thirst. The queen began to pray that the Lord would show her where to find water, and her prayers led her to a healing spring, on the site of which she ordered to found a monastery.

The exact date of foundation of the monastery is unknown, but it is believed that it happened at the end of the 15th century. At the same time, the first documentary evidence about the monastery, stored in the archives of the Archdiocese, dates back to the 18th century. These documents are lists of church property and sacred objects belonging to the monastery. Information about the monastery can also be found in the work “Chronological History of the Island of Cyprus,” which was published in Venice in 1788. Henry Light, an English traveler, in 1914 mentioned in his notes the poverty and neglect of the monastery that struck him. And this is not surprising - after all, during the rule of the Ottoman Empire, the monastery buildings were transferred to the school, and the monastery itself was abandoned.

The 18th century was extremely beneficial for the monastery, when, in 1748, the monastery received a new stone church, built at the expense of the parishioners. It is a single-nave vaulted basilica, covered with a double tiled roof, which could protect the building from the weather. The outside of the church is decorated with blind arched niches that serve as buttresses, and inside the vault is supported by arched ribs. The so-called “voices” - ceramic sound vessels - not only improve the acoustic properties of the nave, but also ease the pressure on the supporting structures. An external arched gallery is attached to the temple on the south side. Entrances are located from the south and from the north.

In 1791, restoration work was once again carried out in the monastery, after which life in it stopped until 1965, when, with the permission of Archbishop Makarios III of Cyprus, monks moved here from the monastery destroyed by the Turks in Kornos. However, after 14 years these monks left the monastery.

Already in 1991, two nuns from the Monastery of St. George Alamanu arrived at the monastery, and life there continued.

The interior of the temple is gracefully complemented by the bishop's throne, decorated with carvings, on which the icon of St. Thekla rests in a silver frame. Another interesting detail of the church’s interior is the wooden balcony in its western part, under the arches of the nave.

The two-tier iconostasis of the temple consists of local and apostolic rows, the icons of which were created, like the iconostasis itself, by Hieromonk Philaret.

The temple image of Saint Thekla from 1744 is placed to the right of the altar barrier, its author is the famous Cypriot artist Ioannikiem. The face of the honest maiden is almost completely hidden behind gold-woven curtains as a sign of reverence for the holy image.

The holy relics of the First Martyr Thekla are the main asset of the monastery. They are preserved in a silver ark, and many pilgrims turn to them in the hope of getting rid of physical and spiritual illnesses.

In the eastern part of the arched gallery you can see ancient bells made of wood and metal, on which they knocked with a mallet, notifying the nuns and parishioners that the service had begun.

The holy spring from which Queen Helen was able to drink is hidden under the outer apse of the temple. Near it you can find miraculous clay, which is believed to cure some skin diseases.

Complete collection and description: prayer to Saint Thekla in Cyprus for the spiritual life of a believer.

The island of Cyprus has been called the “island of saints” since ancient times. To this day, Orthodox pilgrims flock from all over the world to venerate the tomb of Lazarus the Fourth Day in Larnaca and the Cross of the Lord in the Stavrovouni monastery, to pray before the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, according to legend written by the Apostle Luke himself, in the Kykkos monastery, to kiss the relics of the martyrs Cyprian and Justina in the temple Saint Cyprian in Meniko. But few pilgrims know that in Cyprus, to this day, the relics of the First Martyr Thekla, a disciple of the Apostle Paul, who suffered in the 1st century and was revered more than all the holy women in the ancient Church, are miraculously preserved.

Saint Thekla came “from a noble and glorious family” and lived in the Asia Minor city of Iconium. At the age of eighteen, when she was already betrothed to the young man Thamir, the Apostle Paul came to Iconium with an evangelical sermon and taught about Christ. The seed of the word of God fell on good soil. Through the action of the Holy Spirit, it was deeply rooted in the heart of Thekla, who, without hesitation, left everything earthly and turned her gaze to the Heavenly Bridegroom Christ. Thamir, having lost his bride, accused Paul of sorcery and sorcery before the local ruler. The apostle was imprisoned. Having learned about this, Thekla bribed the guard and made her way to the prisoner, who, seeing her progress in faith, called her his “first spiritual daughter.” Soon the relatives seized Thekla and sentenced her to death: they tried to burn the girl at the stake, but the fire surrounded her with flames without touching her body, and then went out due to a heavy downpour. Having left the fire, Thekla rushed away from Iconium. She followed the Apostle Paul to Antioch, where she was again captured and thrown to be devoured by wild animals, and then by snakes and vipers, but neither of them harmed her. The ruler, in fear, released the saint, and she withdrew to a mountain near the city of Seleucia, where she settled in a cave. There she prayed, healed the sick, performed miracles and taught faith in Christ. The doctors and wizards of Seleucia, dissatisfied with the fact that now the sick did not go to them, but to Thekla, who treated them free of charge, out of envy, persuaded some dissolute youths to dishonor the saint. When they approached Thekla, she realized their evil intention and ran away, praying to God for help. And the stone rock parted before her and hid her in its womb, becoming the saint’s resting place. This happened in Syria.

According to legend, the monastery of the First Martyr Thekla was founded by Saint Helena in the 4th century, when she, returning from Jerusalem to Constantinople, visited the island of Cyprus. During her prayer, at the site of the current monastery, a healing spring began to flow from under the ground, watering the queen and her retinue. Above it, the legend says, Saint Helena erected a temple, which she dedicated to the First Martyr Thekla.

In 1806, the Spanish traveler Ali Bey (1767-1818) saw in the monastery one monk and several workers who cultivated the monastery's land plots. Two other travelers, the Englishmen Henry Light and William Turner, visited the monastery a few years later, in 1814 and 1815. In their notes they write about the incredible poverty that struck the entire rural population of the island during the years of Turkish rule (1571-1878). Both of them report that they met only one priest, “absolutely ignorant of everything except the liturgy, which, however, he did not know how to read, but learned by heart.” In the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the monastery buildings were transferred to a school where about fifty children from the surrounding villages studied.

Monastic life resumed in the monastery in 1956, when, with the permission of Archbishop Macarius III (1913-1977), Cypriot Old Calendarists came here from their destroyed monastery after the murder of three monks by fanatical Turks on January 1, 1964. However, already in 1979 they left the monastery. On November 9, 1991, two sisters of the nuns, Constantia and Eulogia, settled in Mosfiloti, one from the monastery of St. George Alamanu, the other from the convent in Sinai. Thus began the revival of the monastery. Today there are seven nuns in the monastery, the abbess is Constantia.

Another miracle: “With the help of God’s grace and the prayers of my spiritual father, I will tell you about one miracle that, thanks to the intercession of Saint Thekla, He performed for me, a sinner. I suffered for about two years. I had severe skin rashes on both arms. I went to doctor P.S., but he said: “This disease is incurable, I’ll give you cauterization, try to cauterize them.” When I burned them, new rashes appeared on the skin. On September 24, the day when the Church celebrates the memory of Saint Thekla, I went and celebrated the liturgy in her monastery in Mosfiloti. It was a resurrection. After the service, we made a religious procession with the icon of the saint. By the grace of God, I received communion that day. Before leaving, I smeared clay on my hands and since then I have been completely healed and I thank the Lord and Saint Thekla for this, because I believe that the healing occurred through her intercession.”

Another miracle: “With the help of God’s grace and the prayers of my spiritual father, I will tell you about one miracle that, thanks to the intercession of Saint Thekla, He performed for me, a sinner. I suffered for about two years. I had severe skin rashes on both arms. I went to doctor P.S., but he said: “This disease is incurable, I’ll give you cauterization, try to cauterize them.” When I burned them, new rashes appeared on the skin. On September 24, the day when the Church celebrates the memory of Saint Thekla, I went and celebrated the liturgy in her monastery in Mosfiloti. It was a resurrection. After the service, we made a religious procession with the icon of the saint. By the grace of God, I received communion that day. Before leaving, I smeared clay on my hands and since then I have been completely healed and I thank the Lord and Saint Thekla for this, because I believe that the healing occurred through her intercession.”

Monastery of Saint Thekla in Cyprus

The First Martyr Thekla was revered more than other holy women in ancient times. Her story is tragic, interesting and instructive for those who intend to follow Their intended path of life. And the point is not only that a girl from a rich family, beautiful and smart, decided to take a vow of celibacy and forever become the Bride of God, but that after going through mental and physical tests, she did not change her mind about her true destiny and remained faithful to herself to yourself.

The Story of the Saint

Thekla was born at the beginning of the 1st century in Iconium, the capital of the ancient state of Asia Minor, Lacaonia. Her parents were of noble origin and were reputed to be rich. Already from childhood, Thekla was a very pretty girl, and in her youth she was an amazing beauty. At the age of 18, her parents betrothed her to the noble young man Thamirid.

One day Thekla attended a city sermon by St. Paul about the Savior. The heart of the young beauty was filled with reverent love for Jesus Christ, and she decided to take a vow of celibacy, refusing to marry Thamirid.

The wounded and offended young man could not come to terms with the “strange” choice of his betrothed. On the advice of his friends, Thamirid went to the ruler of the city and accused the Apostle Paul of “forbidding virgins to marry.”

Saint Paul was imprisoned. But Thekla, it turns out, visited the apostle, bribing the jailers with her jewelry. She could no longer do without Paul’s instructions and his stories about the Savior. Her parents became aware of her secret “meetings”.

The disobedient daughter and the Apostle Paul were brought to court. The Apostle was sentenced to be scourged and expelled from the city. Thekla, who answered all the questions of the judges with meek silence, her own mother wished to “burn” at the city fire, as an edification to those virgins and wives who do not want to obey their parents’ word and accept the laws of the city and country.

She found Saint Paul and went with him to Antioch, a city in ancient Syria. The ruler of the city, Alexander, was captivated by Thekla’s beauty and showed her signs of attention. However, the beauty angrily rejected his claims and tore the robe from Alexander’s shoulders, and at the same time the wreath from his head, and tore them in front of the amazed ruler. For such insolence, Thekla was sent to be torn to pieces by wild beasts. However, the predators behaved in a strange way: the wild lioness rushed to protect the girl, tearing the hungry bear to shreds and attacking the huge lion.

The Iconian maiden remained safe and sound this time too. Alexander then realized that Thekla was not a simple girl, but was under the protection of God himself, and therefore the fire did not take her and the hungry animals would not touch her. They released her.

Prayers heal

And Thekla again began to look for the Apostle Paul, and found him. He taught the girl that she needed to preach the word of God. The pilgrim returned to Iconium, forgave her mother and converted her to Christianity. And she began to preach her faith, and a healing gift was revealed in her. Thekla healed sick people and children with the power of prayer.

She settled in the vicinity of Seleucia, a city in ancient Syria. She lived for almost 90 years. According to church tradition, Thekla was persecuted by pagan sorcerers because she unselfishly treated the sick and suffering. She escaped from them in the mountains, in a cave. There the Servant of God reposed, finding eternal peace.

Her relics were found in a cave on Mount Kalamon, not far from the village of Maaloula (Syria). The relics were kept in the city of Tarsus - in Cilician Armenia. But after Armenia was captured by the Mamluks, part of the saint’s relics were transported to Cyprus, where they are kept to this day in a convent named after Saint Thekla.

Temple and wonderful springs

Presumably, the monastery near the village of Mosfiloti (near Larnaca in Cyprus) was founded in 1471, when a healing spring was discovered. By the way, the Byzantine queen Helen mentioned him.

It is noteworthy that the monastery was originally for men. Several inhabitants lived and “worked” in it. The monastery consisted of buildings and land. However, in the 19th-20th centuries it was given over to a school for rural children.

Life and service in the monastery resumed in 1956. The iconostasis remained the same, built in the 18th century. The Icon of Saint Thekla is a valuable monastery relic, which was painted by the hand of the icon painter Ioannikis (Cyprus), and dressed in a silver frame later, in the 19th century.

Today, both Cypriots and pilgrims from all over the world come to this wonderful Temple, very modest, but surrounded by olive trees and beautiful plants. They go to worship Saint Thekla, and stock up on water from the holy spring, as well as for clay, which miraculously heals from various ailments.

It is difficult to get clay: it is located under the monastery altar. However, in the old days it was the only remedy for serious skin diseases. And today, in confirmation of the healing properties of clay, many children’s photographs hang at the entrance to the church. These children with terrible diagnoses were helped in healing by monastery clay and the prayer of Equal-to-the-Apostles Thekla.

The memory of the Saint is celebrated by the Orthodox Church annually on September 24. When a woman decides to become a nun, the name of the Saint is also remembered. So, not far from the Cross Mountain (Stavrovouni) on the Limassol-Nicosia highway there is a sign to the monastery of St. Thekla. In Cyprus, where there are a great many temples (more than 500), he is the most revered.

If you get the opportunity, see for yourself!

Especially for Liliya-Travel.RU – Anna Lazareva

Prayer to the First Martyr Equal to the Apostles Thekla.

Having learned the words of Pavlov, God-blessed Theklo, and having been strengthened by faith from Peter, the divinely called first martyr appeared and the first sufferer among women: you ascended into the flames, as if into a prosperous place, the animals and youths were afraid of you, armed with the cross. Thus pray, O all-validated Christ God, that our souls may be saved.

You shone with the kindness of virginity, and you were adorned with the crown of martyrdom, entrusting yourself to the apostleship as a glorious virgin; and you turned the flame into dew, and you tamed the youth’s rage with your prayer, as if you were the first to suffer.

Having wounded your virtuous heart, with the love of Christ, you overthrew the temporary betrothed as if you were careless and dared to risk the fire; You stopped the mouths of the beasts, and having saved yourself from them, you diligently sought Paul, the first-suffering Theklo.

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Prayers to the miraculous icons of the Mother of God, the Most Holy Theotokos

Monastery of the Holy First Martyr Thekla

The monastery of the holy healer Thekla is located near the village of Mosfiloti, not far from Mount Stavrovouni. On the Limassol-Nicosia highway there is a sign to the monastery.

One day, Saint Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, who found a shrine - the Life-Giving Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified, suffered from thirst while traveling along the roads of Cyprus. The Lord heard her prayers and showed the place of the life-giving spring, where Saint Helena later ordered the founding of a church in honor of the holy woman - Saint Thekla. Also, we note that in Cyprus there are only 2 springs with holy water, in the monastery of St. Thekla and the churches of Kyprianou and Ustinya. Therefore, if you go on an individual excursion to the St. Thekla Monastery, be sure to take a container for holy water.

Saint Thekla was one of the first nuns in the history of Christianity. Born in Iconium in the 30s of the 1st century, she was a beautiful girl, the daughter of very noble and wealthy parents, an enviable bride, whose hand many sought, Thekla was only 17 years old when she was imbued with the sermons of the Apostle Paul, after which she wanted to devote herself to God. Saint Thekla's mother opposed her daughter's wishes and forced her to marry her betrothed groom. Thekla's groom complained to the city ruler about the Apostle Paul, accusing him of turning his bride away from him.

The governor imprisoned the Apostle Paul, but Thekla secretly ran away from the house under the cover of darkness, bribed the prison guards, giving them all her jewelry, and entered the prisoner. She spent three days at the feet of the holy apostle, listening to his fatherly sermons. Thekla's disappearance was discovered, and servants were sent everywhere to search for her. She was found in prison and returned home by force, and the court sentenced the Apostle Paul to exile from the city.

Neither her mother’s anger, nor her tears, nor the ruler’s threats forced Thekla to change her decision and remove her from her love for the Heavenly Bridegroom - the Lord Jesus Christ. Out of despair, the girl’s mother demanded that the judge sentence her disobedient daughter to death; as a result, Saint Thekla was sentenced to be burned.

When the girl boldly climbed onto the fire, the Savior appeared before her, blessing her for the upcoming feat. The flames of the fire surrounded Thekla, but did not burn her, and a sudden downpour immediately extinguished the fire. Frightened, the tormentors fled.

Then she followed the Apostle Paul to Antioch, where she was again captured and thrown to be torn apart by wild animals and snakes, but they did not cause her any harm. After which, no one doubted the saint’s abilities, out of fear, the ruler released Thekla and she went to live in a cave on a mountain near the city of Seleucia, in Syria. There Thekla prayed, performed miracles, healed the sick and taught the Christian faith. And when the next pursuers approached Saint Thekla, a stone mountain parted before the saint and hid her in its depths.

By God's providence, part of Thekla's relics was found by Christians and brought to Cyprus. Currently, the relics are kept in the convent of St. Thekla, which is located in a beautiful mountain valley, on the outskirts of the village of Mosfiloti, relatively close to Larnaca.

The monastery was founded in 1471 and was named St. Thekla. Monastic life was revived in the monastery in 1956, when, with the permission of Archbishop Makarios III, Cypriot Old Calendarists came here from their destroyed monastery. And in 1991, the monastery became a refuge for two nuns, Constantia and Eulogia.

In the 18th century, a church was built in the monastery of St. Thekla, an iconostasis was made and the title icon of the temple was painted - the icon of St. Thekla, dressed in a beautiful silver frame in the 19th century.

Having visited the monastery of St. Thekla on the day of her memory, September 24, you, as in those historical times, will feel like a participant in the holiday and, also, feel the invisible presence of the spirit of two great holy women: Helena and Thekla.

The earth taken from the miraculous spring on the territory of the shrine is known for healing believers from various skin diseases.

No matter what storms rage in the world, the monastery of St. Thekla is a haven of godlike humility that will stand unshakably, purifying our souls and showing the path to spiritual enlightenment.