Church of Saint George Sikousis

The Church of Saint George in the settlement of Sykousis is a Byzantine church dating to the late 11th century and is considered the earliest surviving copy of Nea Moni’s Katholikon. It was a metochion of Nea Moni and maintained close ties with it. Over the years it suffered destruction, such as being burned by the Ottomans in 1822 and damaged in the great 1881 earthquake, but residents renovated it with particular care. Inside, the carved wooden templon of 1836 and the 18th-century frescoes stand out, and the church took on its present “island octagon” form in the late 18th–early 19th century. Recent restoration has once again highlighted its historical and artistic value, while the pebble-mosaic courtyard completes the monument’s impressive image.