Monastery of Agios Nikolaos

In a green location at Dionysus, near Orchomenos, at the area of Kampia, is situated one of the most interesting monuments of Boeotia, the famous monastery dedicated to Osios Nikolaos the Young.

It dates from the first half of the 12th century, it was the metochi of the Monastery of Osios Loukas and it is believed that the two monasteries were almost contemporary. As a matter of fact, according to tradition, it was constructed by the same material, which was brought to Atalanti by the imperial ships and from there it was transferred to Steiri for the construction of the Monastery of Osios Loukas, after they passed from Kampia.

Since the church seems luxurious enough to be in the rural area, the view has been expressed that it was erected through the funds of Byzantine officials and lords and not with the expenses of the people of the area.

The catholicon had been influenced significantly by the architecture of Osios Loukas, but it is smaller. It belongs to the same architectural type of mainland octagonal, that is it is a cross-in-square church, but its dome is supported in eight points. Its masonry is rather carefully done and luxurious, constructed by chiseled boulders and a coating with marble plates, something that was not common in the churches of that time. Especially impressive is the sculpted decoration of its northern entrance.

Under the church, like in the Monastery of Osios Loukas, there is the semi-underground crypt of Agia Varvara. Its walls are decorated by interesting wall paintings of the 13th or the 14th century, which include the Pantocrator at the conch, and natural-sized figures of priests and saints, among them Ioannis Kaloktenis, the Metropolitan of Thebes in the 12th century that was much loved by the people. 

It is a men’s monastery and celebrates on the 9th of May.