An important monument of Athens, rare example of architecture of the last century, the naidrio of Agios Nikolaos Thon, at the intersection of Alexandra and Kifissia avenues, was rendered today, on the day of his celebration, restored by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, to the Athenians and to the Parish of Agios Dimitrios of Ampelokipi……………
The Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni stated about the previously invisible and vandalized church, in the heart of Athens. "Agios Nikolaos rediscovers the glory it had when it was erected by its founder Nikolaos Thon. Many articles have been written in the daily press over time about his poor condition, but also a number of protests on the part of the locals. Today, thanks to the Services of the Ministry of Culture, we attribute Agios Nikolaos, on the day of his feast, fully restored in the city. One by one the points of the modern history of Athens find their place again in the cultural map of the beggar ".
The work of structural and aesthetic restoration of I.N.. Agiou Nikolaou Thon, included in the ATTICA Regional Business Program 2014-2020 total budget 550.000 euro, implemented by the Directorates of Restoration of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments and Preservation of Ancient and Modern Monuments of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.
The church of Agios Nikolaos Thon, declared a historical monument (by decision of the Ministry of Culture 1979) is a domed pericentric building, with the protruding semi-cylindrical arch of the sanctuary to the northeast. Extensive maintenance work revealed the original geometric decoration and its frescoes, while the wooden windows were restored, the door and the ornate stained glass, which is said to have been brought by Thon from Russia. Extensive restoration work was carried out, as well as rescue maintenance operations. Yet, the surrounding area was landscaped and information signs were placed.
A three-dimensional capture of the entire monument was made with the help of a laser scanner, while all the relief architectural elements were captured by photogrammetric method with the help of optical scanners. Even the carved bell tower was preserved, outside the temple.
The church of Agios Nikolaos is the only remains preserved today from the buildings of the villa "Mon Caprice", of the owner of the temple, Nikolaou Thon, courtier and curator of the Royal Sponsorship of George AD and director of the Royal Theater. The mansion designed by Ernest Ziller was surrounded by a large garden with dense vegetation, decorated with sculptures by Georgios Vroutos and Georgios Fitalis, and many busts of fighters, φιλελλήνων, politicians etc..
The church was built according to the plans of the architect Anastasios Metaxas - and not of Ziller as it was attributed until recently- and was inaugurated on 26 Of March 1895, presence of high guests. Its outer surface is shaped like plastic, with horizontal parallel strips separated by shadows and at the upper level a zone with printed circular elements is formed. The openings of the temple are framed by pilasters with plaster capitals of the Corinthian type, while the two anti-diameter windows have remarkable glass paintings (stained glass), Russian laboratory.
The exterior coloring, of which only local traces survive today, with gradations in shades and imitation of marble veins, highlights even more the diligent construction of the temple and its elegance.
The interior of the church is decorated with the al secco technique in zones, with the lower one mimicking orthomarbling. The dome depicts the Pantocrator between evangelists and prophets, in the alcove the Virgin was holding an enthroned infant and on either side of it the Annunciation. The sanctuary is separated from the main church by a wooden iconostasis.
The 1944, during the armed conflicts of the December people, the mansion of the Thon estate, which already from 1921, has changed owner, but also uses, blown up. A few years later, the 1947, demolished. With the reconstruction of high-rise buildings in the area, from the middle of the 20th century onwards, the church of Agios Nikolaos is part of an environment, completely foreign to its original.
Recent research has revealed the existence of an almost faithful copy of the church of Agios Nikolaos, also circular, on the estate of the late Maria Hors, (Panagiotopoulos estate) of the important Greek choreographer, in Salamis.
Today the church of Agios Nikolaos Thon is delivered illuminated externally highlighting a rare monument, which remained damaged and invisible for many decades.