Nikolaos Makris (d. 1854, Braila) is remembered as a National Benefactor. In Dimitsana, an annual memorial was held at St. Kyriaki from at least 1870. Around 1850 he offered 2,600 drachmas for the construction of the University of Athens and 1,757 drachmas to the Hellenic Educational Society, with further grants to Arsakeio and the Archaeological Society—acts for which King Otto awarded him the Gold Cross of the Order of the Redeemer.
In 1851, funded by Makris while still alive, the Trikamaros Bridge was built at Dimitsana’s entrance (plaque: “ΤΩ Ν. ΑΘ. ΜΑΚΡΗ Η ΠΑΤΡΙΣ ΕΥΓΝΩΜΟΝΟΥΣΑ 1851”). After his death in 1854, the estate was administered by a four-member managing committee he had appointed, serving for life and unpaid under state supervision.
- 1930: 4,300,000 dr allocated to build Dimitsana Gymnasium; his bust placed on the façade.
- 1931: Major renovations of the School and Library; the town clock was also completed with support from the bequest alongside expatriate funds.
- 1970: Merger with the Dimitrios Papoulias bequest, forming the Makris–Papoulias bequests.
- 1973–1974: 1.5 million dr to complete the Municipal Hotel at Kallithea.
- 1973–1985: 17 million dr to the Community, Commonweal Fund, Association of Progress, schools and other bodies.
- 1986–2005: Over 200 million dr to the Municipality, Commonweal Fund, schools, Library, monasteries, sports club, etc.
- Water project: Initial 1.5 million dr for drilling; after water was found with funds from Tasos Vlachos, the bequests covered pumping & supply (35 million dr).
- Public works: Roads, lanes, stone pavements, site improvements, cleanliness, and water/sewer maintenance.
- Targeted grants: 5 million dr to the Association of Progress for offices; 9 million dr to St. Kyriaki church; 8+10 million dr to the Commonweal Fund for the Telonis house site purchase/demolition and new offices.
- Landscape & agriculture: 5 million dr for fruit-tree distribution (and earlier olive trees); early 2000s tree-planting along the Stemnitsa road.
- Later years: €40,000 to the Municipality for various upgrades, including restoration of Vrysi Kouri.
- Monasteries: Substantial support to Aimyalon (water, stabilization, operation, Kolokotronis wine-press restoration, booklet printing) and Philosophou (paving between New & Old Monastery, old bridge maintenance to Prodromos, cleaning of the Old Monastery, booklet “Kryfo Scholeio Monis Philosophou”).
- Recent flagship: The town’s Interconference Cultural Center—among the most modern in Greece.
Much of Dimitsana’s modern profile owes to the Makris bequest and its continued stewardship. Memory eternal.