Ioannes Sguros Orestes owned probably in 1319/1320 a cleared meadow in the vicinity of Melnik, somewhere between the Monastery of Holy Mother of God Spelaiotissa and the Church/Monastary Hagios Ioannes Prodromos (εἰς τὸ ἐκεῖσ̣ε̣ ἐκλειωματικὸν λιβά̣διον χ̣ωράφιον π̣λησίον ὂν̣ τῆς ἐντὸς τοῦ κ̣ά̣στρου Μελενίκου σεβασμίας? μονῆς τῆς Σπηλαιωτίσσης κ̣α̣ὶ̣ τῶν δικαίων τῆς ἑτέ̣ρα̣ς̣ σεβασμίας μονῆς τῆ̣ς̣ τοῦ ἁγ̣ίου προφήτου Προ̣δ̣ρόμου κ̣α̣ὶ̣ Βαπ̣τ̣ιστοῦ Ἰωάννου καὶ ....ης ἔξωθεν τοῦ αὐτοῦ κάστρου μοδ̣ίων δεκατ̣ρ̣ιῶν). The church is mentioned in the charter concerning the sale of a plot of land in Chomnos Stolos from June 1355 (ἐκ δὲ τοῦ κάτωθεν μέρους πλησίον τοῦ τιμίου Προδρόμου). The Serbian Despot Jovan Uglješa donated in January 1365 the old Church Hagios Ioannes Prodromos in the lower town of Melnik to the Monastery Batopedi on Mount Athos (καὶ ἐντὸς τοῦ ἐμπορίου παλαιωκλησιν ὀ τιμιος Πρόδρομος μετα τῆς περιοχῆς αὐτοῦ). The church of Sveti Joan Predteča in Melnik from the Ottoman period was probably erected on the same place as the Church/Monastery of Hagios Ioannes Prodromos.