The century in which the monastery church was built is not known. According to one hypothesis, it dates from the 12th. century. One part of the original building is still to be seen in the north wall. The only entrance to the inside room lies in the middle of the western wall. Above it is a fresco showing the Archangel Michael. To the right of this, is a portrait of Bishop Makarios of Kition (1737-1776), who had the church restored in the years 1740/44. He had to borrow the money for this from a Turk at an interest rate of 12%. According to the inscription to the left of the door, both frescoes are by Philaretos who also painted Agios Minas in Vavla. In addition to the portraits of the bishop and archangel, he enriched Monagri with a scene depicting God the Father with the angels in the clouds. The Holy Ghost descends from the clouds and touches Christ's head with the Crown of Thorns. The Messiah here holds His hands crossed in front of His body. Philaretos painted the Archangel Michael once again in 1746 near the iconostasis on the north wall. The figures of Paul, Vachianos and St. Paraskevi (fig. 74, 73) are probably also by him.

A second painter, Savas Nikolaou, was involved in decorating the church. The figures of St. Lazarus, Basil, Christopher, Anthony, an unknown bishop and an unknown ascetic are by him. To judge by the feeling for colour and style of painting, he is the less important of the two artists. His relatively large inscription under the icon of the Archangel Michael of the iconostasis(on which the majority of icons are by him) allows one to assume that, in addition to his painting, he was a talented script writer. (Above information is derived from the book-Cyprus, Byzantine Churches and Monasteries, (pages 88-89) by Ewald Hein, Andrija Jakovljevic, Brigitte Kleidt).

The monastery, together with its Roman period olive oil mill, is an Ancient Monument Type B. 'Type B' denotes private ownership, in this case the Holy Orthodox Church, which retains ownership of the monastery. It is thought to date originally from the 10th or 11th centuries. The site itself has been occupied since antiquity, with artifacts dating back up to 4,000 years being uncovered. The Monastery is just outside the village of Monagri, 20km north of the coastal resort town of Limassol, in the Kouris River valley. This area has been occupied since the earliest days of human existence in Cyprus. The Monastery was destroyed in 1735, and rebuilt in the mid 18th century, with later additions. After 1735 it was used as a dwelling for both married and unmarried priests.

The Monastery was also a centre of education during the 19th century. Here the former Bishop of Kition, Meletios III (1846-1864) and his Deacon HiIlarion lived and taught the few pupils from the nearby villages. Most recently a priest, his wife and their nine children lived in the Monastery, but they left in 1965, after which the buildings were abandoned.

The most recent restoration of the Monastery of the Archangel Michael was first conceived as a potential project during the latter part of 1987. This was when Richard Sale happened to be taken to the Monastery by friends, whilst visiting the island. What started as an idea, soon became reality, as the lengthy journey of establishing what could realistically be done was embarked upon. Once the Monagri Foundation itself had been established and all the necessary legal work had been completed, the restoration process was started.