The monastery is currently under the conservation of the International Center for Heritage Studies of Girne American University.

[1] According to tradition, the monastery got its name from an acheiropoietos (meaning made without hands), an icon believed to have been miraculously moved from its original location in Asia Minor by the Virgin Mary in order to save it from destruction due to the Turkish conquest.

[2][3] The monastery soon gained prominence and eventually became the religious center of the region.

The Monastery was built in the 11th century on the foundations of a ruined 6th-century Christian church.

[4] Through the centuries, constant rebuilding has given the complex different architectural styles from different time periods, including early Christian, Byzantine, Lusignan, Gothic and Frankish.