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Church of Saint Spyridon
Discover the church of Saint Spyridon
The church was built in the city center in 1589 with the purpose to house the holly remains of St. Spyridon. Many visitors from Greece come to Corfu every year to pray to St. Spyridon and also the church is an admirable sight that attracts tourists from all over the world.
Interesting facts about the church
The church is the most important Byzantine building on the island. It is a single nave basilica with a tower-shaped bell which is the highest on the Ionian islands and it is visible from almost every point of the old town.
Although the exterior of the church is quite frugal the interior is astonishing. The eye gets caught on the impressive iconostasis, made with marble of Paros, decorated with drawings of The Corfiot artist Spyros Prosalentis. At the right of the iconostasis is a crypt where the holly remains of St. Spyridon are kept in a double sarcophagus. The most impressive part of the church is the ceiling which is divided into 17 pieces by golden frames that include paintings that depict stories from the Bible and the life of St. Spyridon initially created by the Corfiot Panagiotis Doksaras in 1727.
St. Spyridon has a special place in the hearts of the Corfiot people. It is believed that St. Spyridon was the one who helped save Corfu from the Turkish invasion in 1716 and saved the island from the plague two times in 1629 and in 1673. The people of Corfu honor St. Spyridon by performing litanies with the company of the Philharmonic Orchestras of the island several times a year.
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