place

Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos

14th-century churches in Greece14th-century establishments in the Byzantine EmpireBuildings and structures completed in 1320Byzantine church buildings in ThessalonikiWorld Heritage Sites in Greece
Agios Nikolaos Orfanos panoramio
Agios Nikolaos Orfanos panoramio

The Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos (Greek: Ἅγιος Νικόλαος ὁ Ὀρφανός) is an early 14th-century Byzantine church in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki. Covered in outstanding Byzantine frescoes, the church is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List along with other Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki, demonstrating the importance of Thessaloniki in early Christian history.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos
Αποστόλου Παύλου, Thessaloniki Municipal Unit Άνω Πόλη (3rd District of Thessaloniki)

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address External links Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Church of Saint Nicholas OrphanosContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 40.637638888889 ° E 22.956111111111 °
placeShow on map

Address

Άγιος Νικόλαος Ορφανός

Αποστόλου Παύλου
546 34 Thessaloniki Municipal Unit, Άνω Πόλη (3rd District of Thessaloniki)
Macedonia and Thrace, Greece
mapOpen on Google Maps

linkWikiData (Q1504317)
linkOpenStreetMap (161736682)

Agios Nikolaos Orfanos panoramio
Agios Nikolaos Orfanos panoramio
Share experience

Nearby Places

Byzantine Bath (Thessaloniki)
Byzantine Bath (Thessaloniki)

The Byzantine Bath of the Upper Town (Greek: Βυζαντινά Λουτρά Άνω Πόλης, Vyzantiná Loutrá Áno Pólis) in Thessaloniki is one of the few and best preserved of the Byzantine baths that have survived from the Byzantine period in Greece. It is located on the Theotokopoulou Street in the Upper Old Town of Thessaloniki.The baths date to the late 12th/early 13th century, and functioned continuously until 1940, when they shut down probably due to World War II and the German occupation of Greece. The Byzantine sources do not mention it, hence it is likely that it originally belonged to a monastery complex. In Ottoman times, it was known as Kule Hammam, i.e. "bath of the citadel".The bath's long use led to numerous alterations of the original structure over time. The original architecture follows the typical conventions of Roman baths. The original entrance in the south leads to the rectangular frigidarium rooms, which were used as dressing rooms. Then came two vaulted tepidarium rooms and finally two caldarium rooms. The latter were square in shape and featured hypocausts below the floor. One was covered by a dome supported by an octagonal base with eight windows, the other had a domed ceiling. To the north of the baths was the cistern that provided it with water, with a hearth beneath to warm it. In Byzantine times the building was alternately used by men and women, but in the Ottoman period the bath was divided into exclusively male and female sections, by blocking off each pair of rooms from each other.The bath was one of several in the city—the 14th-century writer Nikephoros Choumnos claims that Thessaloniki had more baths than inhabitants—but is the only surviving in Thessaloniki and the largest and most complete of the handful of Byzantine baths surviving elsewhere in Greece: five ruined public baths—two in Corinth, one in Sparta, one in Paramythia, one in Ioannina Castle—and one each in the monasteries of Kaisariani and Zoodochos Pigi.Although closed since 1940, the bath was subject to neglect and damage during the 1978 earthquakes, and only survived standing through heavy propping up by the 9th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities and the protection offered by an external metal sheet covering. In 1988, it was included among the Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki on the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.Following four years of restoration work, the bath was re-opened to the public as a museum and cultural space in June 2015.

Upper Town (Thessaloniki)
Upper Town (Thessaloniki)

Thessaloniki's Upper Town called Ano Poli (Greek: Άνω Πόλη, [ˈano ˈpoli]) is the old town of Thessaloniki and is located around the city's acropolis north of the city center. The neighborhood is known for its well preserved Byzantine and Ottoman era structures and urban design and as a center for Thessaloniki's poets, intellectuals, and bohemians. Ano Poli is one of the most traditional areas in Thessaloniki. The area preserves much of the Byzantine and Ottoman era city design which was largely destroyed elsewhere in the city in the Great Fire of 1917. It is known for its small stone-paved streets, old squares, and houses in traditional Greek and Ottoman architecture. Ano Poli is the highest part of the city and is dominated by the city's acropolis, a Byzantine and Ottoman era fort known as the Eptapyrgio. What remains of the old city walls still surround Ano Poli and many Ottoman and Byzantine structures such as the church of Profitis Elias, the Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos, the Taxiarches church, the Byzantine bath, the Church of Saint Catherine, the Vlatades Monastery, the Atatürk Museum, and the Alaca Imaret Mosque still stand in the neighborhood. Other landmarks include the buildings of Villa Moskof and Villa Varvara. During the Ottoman period Ano Poli was the main district for the Turks (Muslims) of the city while Greeks, western Europeans, and Jews lived below around the port. On clear days Mount Olympus, about 80 km (50 mi) away across the gulf, can also be seen towering the horizon.