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The Holy Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos is a small but significant Byzantine church known for its well-preserved frescoes and impressive architecture.
The Church of Agios Nikolaos Orfanos dates back to 1310. It later became a dependency of the Vlatadon monastery in the 17th century.
The church was originally a simple, single-aisled edifice with a wooden roof but later, aisles were added on three sides to form an ambulatory. Despite its simple structure, the church is decorated with remarkable frescoes, which are among the best-preserved in the city. The frescoes cover almost the entire interior surface of the church and were created by an artist who may have also decorated the Hilandar Monastery in Mount Athos in 1314. The frescoes depict scenes from the life of Agios Nikolaos and other saints, as well as scenes from the Old and New Testament.
The church has been linked to the Serbian king, Stephen Uroš II Milutin who is known to have sponsored churches in the city.
It is believed that Agios Nikolaos is represented as an orphan in this church as he was the patron saint of orphans and widows, another reason might be the possibility of an orphanage in its courtyard.
The church remained active during the Turkish occupation but its frescoes were uncovered during restoration work in 1957-1960.
Holy Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos
Holy Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos
Holy Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos
Holy Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos
Holy Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos
Holy Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos
Holy Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos
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