His religious interests came to the fore when the arranged marriage planned by his parents ended with his fleeing to the Monastery of Saint John Chrysostomos in Koutsovendis.
[3] After much ado, the marriage contracts were broken and Neophytos went back to the monastery as a novice, becoming a tonsured monk in 1152.
[6] He was shortly released from prison, but the guards had stolen his travel funds, so, in June 1159, he went to the hilly area above Paphos, where he found a cave that had been used by a previous hermit.
He enlarged the space, eventually creating three caves known today as the Cell, the Bema and the Naos.
His air of sanctity brought many to visit him, and in 1170 Vasilios (Basil) Kinnamos, the Bishop of Paphos, ordained him as a priest and required him to take a disciple, which started the monastery which now bears his name.