At the north-eastern end of the castle of the Acropolis of Serres, is the beautiful Byzantine St. Nikolaos Holy Orthodox Church, which was restored and renewed in 1937.
The first information about this Byzantine Church is given in an excerpt from Praktikos (1339-1342AD) in which there is a reference to “…Tower of Agios Nikolaos…” and according to one version it is a tower of the Acropolis near the Church. According to the evidence of the above Record, the Church was probably built before the Serbian occupation, in the first half of the 14th century.
From an architectural point of view, it ranks among the triangular single-bay churches with a dome. This style is commonly found in churches in the region of Macedonia, Greece.
The crypt entrance is located on the eastern side of the church, beneath the two-lobed window of the apse, and can be reached via a small staircase. This crypt was the burial place of the soldiers of the castle guard, who were killed or died in the church from disease or other causes. The burial status of the crypt is confirmed by the few remains of graves and human bones found inside.
During the excavations of 1926, remains of frescoes were discovered inside the church. In the alcove of the Sacred Step are preserved relics that depict the Divine Ascension. At the same time, thrown on the floor inside the church are remains of jewelry, whose style and theme were related to the Paleologan era.
The church was in ruins until 1937. In the same year its restoration began, which was not considered completely successful, since many parts added were altering the original design. In 1956, the church was illustrated by the painters G. Paralis and D. Kentakis.
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