The Church of St. Nikitas is located on the western slopes of Skopska Crna Gora, approximately fifteen kilometers northwest of Skopje. It is of almost equal distance to the villages of Banjani, Gornjani, and Čučer, which is why it has been referred to in relation to these places by some scholars. Yet, medieval sources generally mention it as “Saint Nikitas near Skopje,” which is why it can be considered the most appropriate designation.

The church is the only remaining visible structure of the former monastery, which is assumed to have been founded between the late 10th and late 12th centuries, possibly by Serbian Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja. However it may have been built earlier by a Byzantine ruler or aristocrat. King Milutin undertook the significant rebuilding shortly after April 1299, granting estates and constructing a new church, and issuing a charter confirmed by Byzantine emperors Andronikos II and Michael IX by 1300. Between July 1307 and May 1308, St. Niketas became a metochion (dependency) of the coastal Pyrgos of Hrusija, which belonged to Hilandar Monastery, with Emperor Andronikos II also confirming this arrangement. By late 1321, it came under the direct administration of the hegoumenos of Monastery Hilandar. The church endured Ottoman rule from 1392 to 1912, undergoing subsequent rebuildings in 1484, in the late 16th century, and finally in 1846. Despite being abandoned on several occasions, the church is remarkably well-preserved, with its upper sections restored to their original forms during a 1979 conservation campaign.

King Milutin's church was built on the site of an older structure from the 11th or 12th century; however, its original form remains unknown due to a lack of archaeological investigation. The church is a typical example of Byzantine style, featuring an elongated cross-in-square plan with barrel-vaulted bays forming a cross. The dome, entirely constructed of brick, rests on a high octagonal drum, with its calotte reaching almost twelve meters from the floor. This dome system is supported by four pendentives, enclosed externally within a cubiform base known as a tambour carré. The façades exhibit alternating layers of bricks and ashlars, enlivened by blind arches resting on lesenes, with a wide central arch flanked by two narrower ones on the south, north, and west sides. The original roofing was lead, later replaced by ceramic tiles, then irregular stone slabs for the apse and dome, and eventually restored with lead in 1979. The Greek origin of the master builders is evident in the dome's design, which shows parallels with Thessalonian churches, such as Saint Panteleimon and the small church of Holy Saviour, as well as an archaic "triumphal arch system" on the facades. St. Niketas holds an essential position in Serbian medieval architecture as one of the earliest surviving examples of a domed cross-in-square church. Its distinctive sanctuary design, consisting of a short narrow bay and a semicircular apse, was widely imitated in 14th-century Serbian ecclesiastical architecture. A parekklesion (chapel) dedicated to St. John the Baptist, a small, rectangular stone and brick structure with a semicircular apse, was adjoined to the church's south wall but was demolished in 1928, along with a 19th-century narthex.

The Church of St. Niketas was fresco-painted, most likely soon after 1321. Since there is no portrait of its founder, King Milutin, it can be assumed that the painting started some time after his death. Additionally, since Hilandar gained authority over Saint Niketas at the time, and considering the similarities between the fresco program of the Hilandar katholikon, it is reasonable to assume that the monks from Hilandar commissioned and supervised the painting of the Church of Saint Niketas. This task was assigned to Michael Astrapas, who already worked on some of the most notable foundations of King Milutin, such as Staro Nagoričane and Mother of God Ljeviška.

The program is simple, featuring Great Feasts, Passion, and Ministry of Christ in the vaults and naos, with Post-Resurrection scenes in the sanctuary and a row of saints (including the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist interceding before Christ "the Merciful") in the lowest zone. Iconographically, these frescoes adhere to well-known Palaiologan solutions, often drawing on older models, with close analogies to the frescoes of Gračanica. A defining characteristic is its similarity to the program of the Hilandar katholikon, which influences the prominent depiction of Hilandar's founders, St. Simeon Nemanja and St. Sava of Serbia, as well as the feast of the Presentation of the Virgin. Stylistically, the entire ensemble exhibits a coherent artistic approach, reflecting the work of a single master painter with assistants handling minor tasks.

The church suffered significant damage during Ottoman rule, particularly to its vaults and upper walls, leading to a restoration in 1484. This restoration employed an unusual, modern-like conservation approach: old plaster was removed only from damaged areas, new plaster was applied, and missing parts were repainted, while preserving the undamaged original sections. The painters displayed remarkable skill in adapting their style to match Michael Astrapas's earlier work. Thirteen scenes and eight individual figures were completely repainted, while others were repaired. The "Repentance and suicide of Judas" and an illustration of a troparion by monk Mark of Otranto were likely new additions. The rest of the latest work followed the 14th-century iconography. An inscription from this restoration, located above the south entrance, includes the Greek and Old Serbian monastic maxim: "The memory of death is beneficial for life."

16th-century frescoes were discovered in the now-demolished parekklesion of St. John the Baptist, which featured an Orant Virgin, Christ as the Lamb of God, and various saints. The program sought to supplement, rather than duplicate, the themes of the main church. These paintings, dated to the closing decades of the 16th century, demonstrate a skilled artist with a warm palette, drawing stylistic parallels to churches in the Patriarchate of Peć. Faded frescoes on the western part of the south façade are also attributed to this period.

Finally, the 19th-century frescoes in the dome were painted in 1846 by the local artist Dimitrije Dičo Krstević. He depicted Christ Pantokrator, surrounded by an inscription from Psalm 33:13-14, and the Heavenly Liturgy. Krstević's work blended Byzantine traditionalism with Venetian Baroque elements, characterized by skillful drawing, bright colors, and abundant use of gold.

The current status of St. Nikitas is that it is a remarkably well-preserved historic church and a visible remnant of its former monastery. Its complex artistic layers, spanning from the 14th to the 19th centuries, offer a unique insight into the evolution of medieval and post-Byzantine art in the region, and continue to be a subject of scholarly study.

St Nikitas is under the jurisdiction of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.