The entrance to the Metochion, like in most monasteries/convents, is on the western side. It is surrounded by a wooden fence made with chestnut stakes [kaproulia]...
Built in the 4th century, the monastery is one of the oldest monasteries in the Christian world, though it is no longer located in a Christian country.
The Holy Monastery of the Virgin of Kykkos was established around the end of the 11th century by the Byzantine monarch Alexios I Komnenos (1081 - 1118).