Nikola Manastırı

Very beautiful building !

Closed to visit

Monastery of St. Nicholas (Hagios Nikolaos) is located on the eastern coast of the island. You can reach this monastery by using both the coastal path and another path from the square down the summit of Yüce Tepe. The monastery is located on and next to the Byzantine settlement of Kayra, which has been abandoned since the seventeenth century after being devastated by a fire. In history, this monastery was first mentioned by the British traveler Thomas Smith in 1680. The original katholikon of the monastery may have been rebuilt to the site of the Kayra District Church and the ruins of this structure. In 1783 the monastery temporarily hosted a minority school. This school was re-established next to the patriarchate in Istanbul under the name of Megale Scole or Büyük Okul. The school continues its activities.nIn 1821, when the Greek War of Independence began, the monastery was captured by the Turkish Army. Later, it was restored and used to accommodate Greek families who came to visit Büyükada from Istanbul. A fire in 1852 ruined the interior of the katholikon, including iconostasis and most religious images. The church was rebuilt in 1860, adhering to its original, domed, four-pillar, cross-centered design, which was the same plan as that of almost all Constantinople churches built in medieval Byzantine times.nIt is estimated that the original catholicon preserved the plan of the Kayra District Church, which is believed to have survived the Byzantine period. The church is covered with a tiled roof and the attractive narthex of the church dates back to 1873.nAbove the entrance is a marble relief of a double-headed eagle, the emblem of the reign of Palaeologus, who ruled the Byzantine Empire in the last two centuries. On the outer corner of the northwest corner, there is an ancient Greek relief, depicting ancient racing.

Floating and peace

It is difficult to assess what is closed, and even with barbed wire