Kalymnos Church of Agios Nikolaos

Location: Pothia Town

Standing close to the port entrance, the imposing Agios Nikolaos Church was constructed between 1860 and 1875 and is probably the most impressive temple in Kalymnos. As the island is characterized by a long-standing seafaring and sponge diving tradition, Agios Nikolaos is considered its patron saint and his feast day on the 6th of December is observed with all honors.

It is a three-aisled basilica with a magnificent blue dome and its size, along with its prominent position and elaborate architecture reflects the flourishing of the Kalymnian economy in the late 19th century.
The Church of Agios Nikolaos boasts remarkable interior decorations too, which have been painted according to the Western European style of iconography, while murals following the Byzantine style were added much later, in the 1990s. Of equal splendor are the ornately carved marble altarpiece and the marble episcopal throne, which was crafted in 1912.

On account of its architectural and artistic value, the church has been declared a listed heritage monument.