The Church of Saint Nicholas Orfanos is a Byzantine church in the north-eastern part of the historical centre of Thessaloniki, between Herodotus and Apostle Paul Streets. It is one of the most interesting sights of the city and an important architectural monument of the Byzantine era. Among other early Christian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki, the Church of St. Nicholas is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is believed that the church was built in 1310-1320, although the exact date is unknown, as well as the origin of the name of the church, first mentioned in written sources dating back to the 17th century. According to one version, the church was named in honour of Nicholas the Wonderworker, the protector of widows and orphans, as the word "orthanos" means "orphan". Some researchers consider it more likely that the word "orfanos" appeared in the name of the church because of the surname of its patron.
The Church of St Nicholas Orfanos is a rather small but very interesting structure consisting of an oblong room and surrounding it on three sides of the U-shaped gallery, forming on the eastern side of two aisles. In one of the aisles there is a deacon's chapel.
Unlike most Christian churches during the period of Turkish rule in Thessaloniki, the Church of St Nicholas was not turned into a mosque, thanks to which a significant part of the frescoes adorning its walls (most of which date back to the first half of the 14th century) has been perfectly preserved and is a fine example of the Thessaloniki school of the Paleologos era. Of particular interest is the ancient marble iconostasis (14th century), one of the few Byzantine iconostases that have survived virtually intact. It is also worth paying attention to the carved capitals borrowed from an older building (presumably from the time of Emperor Theodosius I)..
