The monastery of Saint Nicola is situated in the village of Mesopotam, in the Saranda district. In this Christian Byzantine complex are included various structures such as: the church, a number of rooms and the surrounding walls. The church is preserved in good physical condition whereas there are only ruins surviving from the other structures. In August 2004 an archaeological excavation was carried out on the southern side of the monastery. Two test pits trenches were excavated, (S. 1) and (P.1) intending to understand the stratigrahical sequences of the site.
In the first trench (S.1) were noticed 6 different archaeological layers, (001; 002; 003; 004; 007; 008). The layer 001 is a mixture deposit of archaeological materials; 002 contains pottery kitchen wares which are similar to layer 005; in the layer 003 was found an inscribed marble stone decorated with a variety of motives and also a relief of two griffons; layers 004 and 008 were both ash deposits; layer 007 contains kitchen pottery ware, mainly of Proto-Maiolica and Archaic Maiolica type.
The other trench (P.1), measuring to 0. 80 m x 0.80m, was dug up to 1.30 m of depth, and there were revealed two different layers, (005 and 006). The first layer was similar to 002 and the second layer is similar to 003. From the layer 002 came out a variety of pottery kitchen wares fragments, mainly dominated by Proto-Maiolica and Archaic Maiolica type. In the layer 006 were found tiles and bricks fragments.
The destroyed layers might be possibly related to the period in which are also destroyed two other churches in the area, Shёn Jan (near by Finiqi) and the church of Peshkёpi in Nivica, dating to 1336 – 1343 A.D. The pottery coming out from layer 007 dates possibly before this period but not earlier then the foundation of the church (1272-1286). The archaeological materials revealed from layers 002 and 005 dates to the 14-th century A.D.