The new elected Metropolitan Bishop of Mesogaia & Laureotike Nikolaos Chatzinikolaou was born at Thessalonica in the 13th of April 1954.
He studied Physics in the University of Thessalonica. He continued his stydies in Harvard and M.I.T, where he accomplished M.A. and Ph.D degrees. He worked as a researher and scientific collegue at the Cardiovascular Laboratory of the New England Deaconess Hospital. At the same time was scientific collegue of NASA and the Arthur D. Little company.
His was a seminar lecturer at Harvard University, at M.I.T and at the Medical School at Athens' University.
He was director of the Hellenic Center of Bio-medical ethics and Deontology and the Synodical Comitee of Bio-ethics of the Church of Greece.
He took his monastical vows at 18th of March 1989 at the holy Monastery of Stomion in Konitsa (northern Greece) and the next day he was ordinated deacon. He was ordinated priest at the 10th of September 1989.
Afterwords he became monk of the Simonos Petra Monastery of Mount Athos.
From 1990 to 2004 was chaplain of the Assension Church at Byronas-Athens, which its a depended convent of Simonos Petra Monastery of Mount Athos.
He was elected Bishop the 26th of April 2004. He was consecrated at the Athens Cathedral at the 30th of April 2004, by the Archbishop of Athens Christodoulos and other 15 bishops.
He is the 2nd Metropolitan of Mesogaia after His grace Agathonikos and 117th bishop from Saint Paul the Apostle until today.
General Vicar: father Andrew Pappas.
Regions of the Diocese: Spata, Koropi, Laurio.
Catechestical-Juvenile work: mr. Ioannis Papathanasiou.
Address: Thoukididou and Byzantiou, Spata 19004 Attica, Greece.
tel: 210-6632687 (Bishop), 210-6632276 (offices), fax: 210-6025101.
Youth Magazine: The Ark (monthly).
Youth parish centers: in Spata, Koropi, Paiania, Markopoulo, Keratea & Laurio.
Lecture theatres: in Spata, Koropi, Markopoulo & Keratea.
Museum of ecclesiastical art in the Metropolitan Palace, at Spata.
School of Byzantine & European music, in Spata & Laurio.
Santuaries of the Diocese:
The Resurrection of the Lord, in Spata (tel:210-6632312).
Saint Nectarius, in Kamariza (tel: 22920-24312)
Male abbey:
Saint Athanasius in Kouvara.
Feminine abbeys:
Holy Trinity, in Koropi
Bethlehem (Nativity), in Koropi (tel:210-6623560)
Saint John Kynigos at Agia Paraskevi (tel:210-6659079)
Ascension of the Lord, at Keratea (tel:693-2249567)
Saint Catherine, in Pallini (tel:210-6031200)
Convents:
Saint Paul, in Paleokamariza (tel:22920-22682)
Assumption of the Virgin Mary, in Koropi (tel: 210-6625524)
Saint Irene Chrysovalantos, in Karella (follows the Julian calendar)
