Dreams come alive in the Cyclades

SAINT NIKOLAOS CHURCH IN ERMOUPOLIS

SHORT STORY

The construction of the church started on February 28^th, 1898, when Daniel kontoudis from Chios was Archbishop of Cyclades, and was finished on September 13^th, by the Archbishop of Syros, Professor Alexandros Lykourgos.

It was the biggest church of free, at that time, Greece, "a worthy sight and piece of work".

Its imposing dimensions, its beautiful, tall, marble bell towers, its marble entrances with a row of four columns of ionic order, its magnificent entrance and the elaborate, simple décor with the archaic blossoms and promontories. The triglyphs  and the rosettes that elapse the church give a monumental, ancient Greek character.

The church is decorated with marble, ecclesiastic pieces of wonderful art.

The Archbishop's throne, work of Georgios Vitalis from Tinos, is distinguished for the angels, who support its sky, its marble lions on the base and the busts of the angels on both sides. It's a donation of the family of Dimitrios Vafiadakis.

Eminent people, not only from Syros, ambassadors, ship-owners, businessmen, consults from Greece, Russia, or other countries near the Danube, dedicated to the church consecrated vessels, gospels, holy cups, blessing crosses, Epitaphs embroidered with gold banners.

The church is particularly proud of the imposing and miraculous icon of Saint Nikolaos, which was painted and overlaid with silver in Moscow, capital city of Holy and Great Russia, in 1852 "at expense of the orthodox servant of God Sophia daughter of Bernadakis, from the city of Taganrog", as its written on the dedicatory inscription in its lower part.

The imposing dome commands the central nave of the church with its sixteen two-leaved, arc-shaped windows and the Lord Christ blessing the church and every worshiper on angel's wing and in the middle of clouds.

The Holy Relics were welcomed by the entire people of Syros, orthodox and catholic, by the hands of His Holiness, Archbishop of Athens and whole Greece, Mr Christodoulos, on the ship of the Greek Navy, "SAKIPIS", in the port Of Syros on Saturday May 13", 2006.

The choir of the Saint Nikolaos church was founded in 1920. In 1968, it was enriched with an organ, which, until now, accompanies the singing of hymns.