Famagusta is home to many historical religious sites. One of these sites is the Ganchvor monastery, which belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Church. The monastery was built close to Famagusta because it is a popular place of living for the Armenians.

Ganchvor was built in the middle of the XIV century by settlers from Cilicia. According to the idea, this should not only be a place for worship, but also a kind of fortress for protection from enemy encroachments. Unfortunately, the monastery did not cope with this mission. In the XV century, Cyprus was captured by the Turks, and Ganchvor surrendered to them. So the monastery was closed and fell into disrepair in 1571.

The monastery was empty for many centuries and only at the beginning of the XX century, it came to life again. It was restored and transferred to the possession of the Armenian Church. In 1945, Ganchvor was again consecrated, and it seemed that at last, the building began a quiet and easy life.

But the hardships of the monastery did not end there. It was destroyed by the Turks living in Cyprus during the civil war on the island. Then it completely passed into the hands of the Turkish military and was closed. It was impossible to enter its territory since this place was a military zone.

Now Ganchvor is available for tourists and pilgrims. It has opened its doors again in 2003. This place is considered a cult, because of rich history, so thousands of believers from all over the world come there every year.

The building is located in the vicinity of Famagusta, in the North-Western part of the city. It is also close to many other attractions. For example, the ruins of the Carmelite Church, the Martinengo Bastion, and the Church of Saint Anne. All of them are located on the territory of the old city, surrounded by Venetian walls.