Ankaran is a settlement in the Koper Municipality in the Littoral region of Slovenia. It's situated near the border between Slovenia and Italy. The area of Ankaran was known in Roman times as Ancaria. The Benedictine monastery of Saint Nicholas, dating to the early 12th century is one of Ankaran's main sites. In 1630, a devastating plague, forced the monks to abandon the monastery. In 1774, the monastery and its estate were bought by the Madonizza family from Koper, who converted it into their summer residence. During the Napoleonic Wars, the building was used as a military hospital. After the First World War, it was converted into a hotel, part of the Saint Nicolas seaside resort, open in 1925.