The monastery of Sourp Magar is situated at a height of 510 meters above sea level, on the northern slopes of the Kyrenia mountain range. Sourp Magar means "Saint Makarios the Blessed". It could refer either to a 4th century AD Coptic hermit who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, or to another 4th century AD Coptic hermit who was a pupil of St. Anthony of the Desert. The feast days of both these saints are observed by the Armenian Church..

Thus, it is quite probable that this monastery, which is thought to have Coptic origins, came into the hands of Armenians at a later stage. The date and circumstances of this transfer are unclear.

Close relations between so-called "oriental" Apostolic Churches e.g. the Coptic, Armenian, Syrian and Ethiopian churches, began soon after the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD.

Tradition states that Christianity was brought to Armenia by Bartholomew the Apostle, and Thaddeus, one of the Seventy. But it was St. Gregory the Illuminator who brought about the Royal Edict of 301 AD which proclaimed Christianity as the established official religion of Armenia, the first country in the world to do so.

Sourp Magar has been a religious centre for Armenians for centuries. Although under the jurisdiction of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, residing at present in Lebanon, it has had close ties with St. James' Monastery in Jerusalem and with the Catholicosate of Ejmiatsin in Armenia. The quiet surroundings have for centuries provided a haven for clergymen and laymen alike.

The upheavals in the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century resulted in the arrival of thousands of Armenian refugees on the island. The monastery opened its doors to orphans and to those in need. It also developed farming to help feed the hungry.