
Monastery of Agios Nikolaos in Mavrinitsa (Soterianika)

The monastery of Agios Nikolaos is located in Mavrinitsa, southeast of Soterianika. An old stone-paved road passes to the south of the complex, along an ancient path that used to connect Mani and Mystras. The monastic complex is arranged in two levels, following the natural contour lines. A partially collapsed enclosure is only visible at the east. The katholikon rises at the higher level, along with a ruined tower-shaped building. The lower level includes the main entrance at the south-eastern corner, remains of three unidentified structures, a central court, a ruined two-storey farmhouse and the remains of a two-storey church with an underground cistern at the south-western corner.
The katholikon is dedicated to Agios Nikolaos (St. Nicholas); it belongs to the domed free cross type, with a barrel-vaulted orthogonal narthex and shows evidence of more than one building phase. The large barrel-vaulted narthex was added to the small byzantine cross-shaped core (possibly dating to the late 11th or 12th century), during the second Venetocracy (1685-1715), taking the place of the western arm. Extensive repairs of the upper part of the original church and the entire southern arm were undertaken possibly during the same period. The wall paintings of the main church have been dated to the 17th century.