Church of St. Nicholas Orfanos

The construction of the church due to the peculiarities of the architectural style dates back to the beginning of the XIV century (probably 1310 - 1320 ). The church always belonged to Christians and during the period of the Turkish conquest was not converted to a mosque , which ensured the good preservation of its frescoes . In the 17th century, it became a courtyard of the Vlatadov monastery ( the Patriarch of Constantinople Ioannicius II testifies to this in his letter in 1648) and belongs to it to this day.

Initially, the church consisted of three equal parts, having a common nave from the west, that is, it had the form of a three-sloped basilica . Currently, the church consists of an elongated building, surrounded on three sides (except the east) by a U-shaped gallery, which on the east side forms two aisles , one of which serves as a deacon .

Of the architectural decorations in the church there are capitals borrowed from an earlier building, and dating back to the era of Emperor Theodosius . They are decorated with two rows of jagged leaves painted in different colors that have survived to the present. A marble iconostasis is installed in the church, which has remained almost intact.

Of greatest interest are the frescoes of the first half of the XIV century , which are one of the significant examples of Byzantine art of the Paleologian era. Almost all of the interior of this small church is painted with frescoes. They are arranged in rows along the walls: the lower row is occupied by images of saints, and above them are a number of large compositions with scenes of twelve holy days (each enclosed in a red frame), the Passion of Christ , the lives of St. Nicholas , Gerasim of Jordan (the first of the famous life cycles of the saint) and others.

•   Wikimedia Commons has media related to the Church of St. Nicholas Orfanos
• Ministry of Culture of Greece. Church of St. Nicholas Orfanos. (eng.)

• Papahatsis N. Monuments Thessaloniki . ISBN 960796405-5