Protaton, Byzantine church in Karyes, Greece.

The Protaton is a three-aisle basilica in Karyes on Mount Athos, with a central aisle that rises above the side sections and an external gallery on the northern side. Medieval wall paintings cover the interior surfaces throughout the structure.

The present church was built in 962, a year before the founding of the first katholikon of the Great Lavra, on the site of an earlier smaller church rebuilt by Leo, brother of Nikephoros Phokas. It was erected by the council of elders when they moved their seat to Karyes, and its name comes from the Protos, the head of that body. Renovations over time did not alter its architectural form.

The interior frescoes created by Manuel Panselinos reflect how artistic skill and spiritual practice merged in medieval church decoration. These painted walls show the style of their era and reveal what religious art meant to the monks who worked and prayed here.

The church is located in Karyes, the central administrative area of the Mount Athos monastic community, so it is best visited as part of a broader exploration of the site. Restoration work from the 1950s and 1960s, along with ongoing conservation efforts, has kept the interior in viewable condition.

The Protaton holds the Axion Estin icon, a portable icon of the Virgin that pilgrims associate with a hymn sung in Orthodox liturgy. The church also keeps many manuscripts and the historical typika, the founding charters, of the Mount Athos monasteries.