Now the monastery holds 6 nuns and over 70 cats. The cats continue to grow as people bring strays by and the nuns take them in and they take care of them. The nuns feed the cats on donations made by locals and cat loving tourists and pilgrims.

Learn Something Fun: Another legend tells how a terrible famine struck the island of Myra. Since St. Nick is the patron saint of sailors, his exploits are explained when a malicious butcher lured three little children into his house on Myra, and killed and slaughtered them and put their remains in a barrel to cure, planning to sell them off as ham. Saint Nicholas, visiting the region to care for the hungry, not only saw through the butcher’s horrific crime, but also managed to resurrect the three boys from the barrel.