Churches in Corfu Town
The Orthodox cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Spiliotissa
The Greek Orthodox cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is situated in the old part of the town facing the square of the harbour. The church was erected in 1577 and is also dedicated to St. Blasios (Blaise) and to St. Theodora, whose sacred body is now in the church. The bell-tower the second highest in the town after that of St. Spyridon, dates from the 16th century.
The church of St. Spyridon
The church of St. Spyridon, who is the patron Saint of the island, is the most famous in Corfu.
The church, which is also dedicated to Saints Jason and Sosipater, is a single-nave basilica and was built in 1590, replaced an older church which was demolished so that the town walls could be put up.
The building of the bell-tower, the highest in Corfu, resembles that of the Greek church of St. George in Venice. Icons and ceiling frames grace the church's interior.
The original painting of the ceiling, completed in 1727, was the work of Panayiotis Doxaras. Nowadays nothing remains of this work as the paintings were destroyed by humidity. They were replaced in the 19th century by copies painted by Nicholas Aspiotis. The icons on the iconostasis, built in 1864, are the work of the Corfiot painter Spyridon Prosalentis.
The Saint's body is enshrined in a silver gilt and ebony case decorated with gems and dating from 1770. This is laid in a wooden casket, coated with silver made in Vienna in 1867. It is decorated with 12 miniature enamels and lies in a chapel on the right of the iconostasis. In the chapel hang dozens of silver lamps, given as thanksgiving offerings.
A fragment of a 16th century fresco, representing the Descent from the Cross, has been recently discovered in the prothesis. The composition shows a clear influence of the Italian Renaissance. Hanging from the ceiling are a lot of silver and gilt lamps and massive chandeliers presented to the church as offerings. Most of them are examples of the fine workmanship of the 18th and 19th centuries.
The church of St. Antony
At the end of Nickiphorou Theotoki street stands one of the oldest and more interesting churches in Corfu. Dating from the 14th century it was rebuilt and remodelled in 1753. The elegant iconostasis was built in 1775 in Italy of white Carrara marble - and is considered to be one of the finest in Greece.
The Tenedos church
At the top of Solomon street under the southern bastions of the New Fortress, stands the Roman Catholic church of Tenedos dedicated to the Blessed Virgin of Carmel. It is named after an icon of the Virgin Mary brought to Corfu when the Venetians were forced to evacuate the island of Tenedos in 1657. The Church and adjacent monastery are dated from 1749.
The church of the Blessed Virgin Phaneromeni
On a little square on the corner of Nickiphorou Theotoki street stands this church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Phaneromeni ('Revealed'). The church is commonly called 'Virgin of the Strangers' (Panayia ton Xenon). It was founded in 1689 and for a long time has been the parish church of the Community of Greeks from Epiros (on the mainland opposite Corfu) which explains the name given to the church by the Corfiots.
The church of St. John the Baptist
One of the oldest churches in the city of Corfu dedicated to St. John the Baptist, St. Paraskevi and St. Dionysios, is situated on Nickiphorou Theotoki street opposite the church of the Virgin of the Strangers. It was for many years the seat of the Great Protopapas of Corfu. It existed from the early 16th century and is a single-nave, wooden-roofed basilica.
The church of All Saints (Ayion Panton)
The church dedicated to All Saints stands in the All Saints street near the Esplanade. It belongs to the butchers' guild and is rich in silver and liturgical vessels. It was built in 1684 as a single-nave basilica.
The church of St. Eleftherios
The small church dedicated to St. Eleftherios and St. Anne stands on St. Spyridon street. It was first built in 1700 and was restored in 1765 and again in 1950. The sanctuary is situated, contrary to common Greek Orthodox usage, at the south end, instead of the east, and is separated by a wooden carved iconostasis decorated with interesting icons by an unknown iconographer of the 18th century.
The church of St. Catherine
A small church dedicated to St. Catherine stands on the corner of Capodistria and St. Catherine street. It was built in 1690 by the Cretan monk Nikodimos Kerofylactos.
The church of the Blessed Virgin Limniotissa
The little church of the Blessed Virgin Limniotissa is situated in Apollodorou street. The church is owned by a small number of families and is existed since 1603.
The church of Pantokrator
In the centre of Campiello, the oldest quarter of the town stands the church dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ Pantokrator, that was built in the second half of the 16th century. The stone iconostasis dates from the first half of the 18th century.
The church of the Blessed Virgin 'Kremasti'
This church is situated in the Campiello in a small square which takes its name from that of the church. The word 'kremasti', meaning hanging, probably owes its origin to an icon which may formerly have hung on the outside wall of the church. It is dedicated to the Presentation and the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and it is dated from the early 16th century.
