It is located 5 km northwest of Leonidio. The Monastery of Agios Nikolaos Sitzas is an old monastery and today it is a nunnery.
Nestled in the hollow of a cave in a steep red rock at a height of 500 m, it impresses for the spot chosen to be built. The view towards Leonidio and the islands of the Argolic gulf is excellent, especially at dusk.
The name Sintza seems to have been given to the site by a large fig tree (syntja in Tsakonian) that used to be at the entrance of the cave.
The monastery has a cross-roofed catholicon with interesting images from 1650, a carved iconostasis and all-white cells. The first testimonies about its history date back to 1628. In the library of the monastery, a piece of spine is kept, which is said to belong to a monstrous snake that was killed with trombones by Speciotian and Hydra sailors because, the fear it caused, drove away the pilgrims. Around the monastery there are hermitages on vertical rocks. Today, the nuns are usually found in Agios Charalambos, which is a nearby part of the monastery.
Agios Nikolaos enjoys great worship and respect from the Leonidians. They even swear in his name: "But St. Nicoas the Syntzas".
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou