Church of Saint Nicholas Tzivaliou

The earliest known references to the church complex, consisting of the Church of Saint Nicholas, the Chapel of Saint Charalampos and the Aghiasma, occur in Turkish documents of 1724 and 1837. Writing about these sultanic enactments, Gedeon states they are proof that a church stood on the site at a time prior to the Fall of the City.
A typical example of the manner in which the Christian communities of Constantinople are organised -the church standing in an enclosure protected by tall courtyard walls and surrounded by school buildings, meeting-rooms and philanthropic and cultural associations- the Saint Nicholas complex, renovated in 1998 by the Nikolaos Vardinoyannis Foundation, is in a fine state of preservation.
The approach from the north is down a stairway, for the level of the coast road has been raised. The church covers the greater part of the north-eastern area of the enclosed space, while the Aghiasma is situated in the south-eastern.
The Chapel of Saint Charalampos stands in the southern sector. The walling and the architecture, which incorporates Phanariot stonework, stem directly from Byzantine styles. The exterior on the Keratios (Golden Horn) side is of unusual interest since it is one of the few examples of a building that links late Byzantine with post-Byzantine architecture.

Ismini Kapandai


Churches in Constantinople


Nikos Ghinis – Constantinos Stratos