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Washington, United States
loves: you win if you guessed "pets" and "museums". Also books, art history, travel, British punk, Korean kimchi, bindis, martinis, and other things TBD. I will always make it very clear if a post is sponsored in any way. Drop me a line at thepetmuseum AT gmail.com !

Saturday, January 21, 2012

saint nicholas of the cats

From The Cosmopolitan, volume 2 nos 1- 6 (Sept. 1886 - Feb. 1887), p.312:
Upon a cape extending from the Isle of Cyprus, there formerly stood a monastery, whose monks were solemnly bound to keep cats to destroy the snakes infesting the island. When a certain bell rang the cats came to their meals, and then set forth again in pursuit of the reptiles. The monastery and cats were destroyed by the Turks, who conquered the island towards the close of the sixteenth century; but, for many years after, the cape was called "Cat Cape."
* * * 
That cape is still called Cat Cape.  It turns out that monastery was rebuilt and is called Saint Nicholas of The Cats, with a nod to the critters that have been kicking around there for close to two millenia now.  I found an article with photos here.

2 comments:

Chicco said...

Very very interesting!
Have a nice day.
Woof, woof,

Chicco

Katnip Lounge said...

Stupid Turks.