Monastery of St. George on the hill
On the hill of St. George in Kilkis, one canvisit the preserved post-Byzantine church, built around 1830, probably in the location of an older church. The church of St. George is a three-aisled large basilica. The building has two entrances. It is built out of marble, while it is decorated with sculpted dragons (or lions) which should be regarded as the protectors of the temple. At the same time, a cross indicates the Christian sanctity of the place. In the temple there are three aisles, dedicated respectively to SaintAnargyros, Saint Dimitrios and Saint Georgios.
The interior maintains its original decor, while the wooden screen is painted and some of the images are the work of painters from Kolakia. The painted ceilings dating from 1879, hold a dominant place in the interior, in which the geometric shapes are formed by thin forearms and decorated with floral motifs.
The temple is painted with vases with rich bouquets or cypress (a sacred tree) and pomegranate (the symbol of abundance). Around the pulpit, the four Evangelists are depicted. The earliest image of St. George is located in the shrine and it datesback to 1832. The morphological features and the decoration of St. George are representative samples of Macedonian ecclesiastical architecture and the art of the 19th century.