St. Nicholas Fountoukli Church

Eleousa, Greece

Passing through the villages Archipoli and Psinthos,you reach Eleousa. By following the road west of the village you arrive in Agios Nikolaos Fountoukli. The church dates from the 14th to 15th century A.D. and is a central square building covered with a dome. The frescoes, which date also from the 14th to 15th century A.D., show some iconographic peculiarities. The two portraits of the donors make us assume that one of them was a senior byzantine administrative officer who dedicated the church to Agios Nikolaos. In the south wall of the western apse, the portrait depicts the founder with his wife beneath a decorative bow holding a model of the temple.

At the same time, they pray to the statue of Christ that stands above them, receiving his blessing. What;s important in this church is the triple composition of the frescoes in the apse. In the north wall depicts the founder’s three children a girl and two boys, praying beneath the bust of Christ-Emmanuel. From the inscriptions accompanying them, we learn that they have all died. The temple was built and decorated probably in their memory. The artist custom made the frescoes. He drew the children in Paradise. Decorative elements with birds symbolize Paradise. Equally important is that Christ, blessing the deceased children is depicted as a child and not a bearded adult. Many who visit the church claim to hear the voices of the children.

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Details

Founded: 14th century
Category: Religious sites in Greece

More Information

www.visitrhodes.com

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Ladislav Velebil (10 months ago)
Just wow. At what a great shape are those unrestored inner paintings is amazing. Stop by and you will not regret it and as a bonus there are plenty of figs trees all around.
Tomasz Lewandowski (11 months ago)
Incredible place, church from XV centaury serving like any other churches. I spent there one hour, no other tourists, you can go inside and admire old paintings on the wall. Definitely worth to see.
James Mayer (12 months ago)
Beautiful, so full of history.
Helen Free (13 months ago)
Beautiful little church in the middle of nowhere. It is opposite a spring of which you can drink the water, as with everything in Greece there is a story about the spring, but I'll let you discover that yourself., You could feel the atmosphere and see the history of the church on the walls. I would have loved to have been there alone to soak up the history but unfortunately I was on a group tour, when you are never alone. One little thing I was unhappy with, there was was a man there, who I presumed was a caretaker of sorts. Several of the group, myself included made donations and lit a candle but as soon as we were out the door he blow the candles out. There are several picnic areas around the church which are very peaceful, if you are hiring a car it would be a good place to stop.
Ken Ducker (14 months ago)
A wonderful church with possibly Roman or Byzantine tiles in the stonework. The frescos are awe inspiring and truly reflect their age.Could this site have older pagan connections? - we were intrigued by the large carved stone behind the church. The grounds across the road are quite extensive including an open air theatre(?).
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