In the first half of the 4th century, southeast of the salt lake, on the peninsula of Akrotiri, by order of Empress Helena, a monastery was founded in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Later it received the name "Gaton" (Feline) - for the large number of cats living on its territory and in the vicinity. Cats, according to legend, were ordered to be brought here by Queen Helen, who in 327, on her way back from the Holy Land, stopped in the bay of the peninsula and was struck by a large number of poisonous snakes here.

During the reign of the British on the island, the monastery was closed and revived in the 1960s already as a convent. It has only a few sisters. In addition to traditional obediences, they take care of cats: old, sick and homeless cats are brought here from all over the island. A stone church of the 15th century has been preserved in the monastery, the main entrance to which is decorated with a mosaic image of St. Nicholas.