The foundation of this monastery probably dates back to the 10th century. It is the smallest and poorest Monastery of Mount Athos. There are two versions of how it was named. Whether it was founded by the bishop Nikiforos Stavronikita either the monks Stavros and Nikitas lived there.
Its church was built in 1536 and it was celebrated on 6 December in the memory of Saint Nikolaos. An important relic of this is the icon of Saint Nikolaos the “Streidas”. It has a remarkable library which has a big variety of important books.
