Until 1925, which it was ceded to refugee fishermen from the Asia Minor shores, Ammouliani was a dependency (metochi) of the Athonite Vatopedi Monastery. The holy church of Saint Nicholas is dated by inscription to 1860 and is one of the oldest buildings on the island. It is a single-aisle basilica with pitched roof and a women’s gallery (gynaikonites), which comprises two distinct parts, the surviving original shell and the postwar, asymmetrical enlargement. The church building was initially two-storey with slate roof. The basement-lower storey was a storage space, the so-called docheion, while the church operated in the upper storey. When Saint Nicholas was turned into a parish church, the basement-docheion was abolished and the west part of the upper storey remained as the gynaikonites with outside access. Wear and tear on the building over time had caused diverse aesthetic and functional problems, necessitating works to restore and enhance the monument so that it could best fulfil its role as a parish church. These included mainly its static reinforcement, the restoration of the roof and the façades on the basis of their initial aspect, the conservation of the painted decoration, and the functional upgrading, as well as the enhancement of the surrounding space.
