The Church of Agios Nikolaos
The church of Agios Nikolaos is located in the Lower Town of Monemvasia.
A cross domed church built in 1703 on the ruins of two Byzantine churches. The inlaid inscription on the pediment over the entrance states that it was made from scratch by the Monemvassian doctor and philosopher Andreas Likinios. The coat of arms with the two-headed eagle belongs to the founder’s family.
According to local tradition, the monument was never used as a church. During the second Turkish Occupation, it served as an arsenal, while it housed a school during the period of Capodistrias (1829). It was used as a primary school from 1839 until about the middle of the 20th century and it was used as a primary school. Yiannis Ritsos, the famous poet, was one of its former pupils.