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Palace of Saints Michael and George
Discover Palace of Saints Michael and George
It is the largest and the most significant building of the Ionian State period and it is located next to the Old Fortress right by the sea. It was built as per request from Sir Thomas Maitland, the British High Commissioner to the Ionian Islands, to use it as a residence. The Palace also housed the Ionian Senate and the order of the Saints Michael and George.
Interesting facts about Palace of Saints Michael and George
After the unification of the Ionian Islands with the Kingdom of Greece, the Palace was a residence for the Greek royals until World War II. It was damaged during the war, but it survived and it got repaired in the years that followed.
The Palace was designed in the Regency style by the British architect George Whitmore, who was a colonel and later a major in the Royal Engineers and it was made mainly of white Maltese stone. The two gates that frame the Palace are the gates of Agios Michael and Agios Georgios. The Formal Rooms consist of a majestic staircase, a rotunda in the center leading to two large halls, the Throne Room and the formal dining room.
Today the Palace houses the Museum of Asian Art, the only one of its kind in Greece. The Museum was built around the collection of Gregorios Manos, who donated a collection that counts over 10.000 objects. Visiting the Museum is a truly unique experience, like traveling to the far East, as it has more than 11.000 objects from Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Indian cultures, including pictures, sculptures, clothing, jewelry, etc.
The Museum of Asian Art is open to visitors every day from 08:00 until 20:00.
The Palace is surrounded by magnificent gardens. In the gardens, there are old Venetian stone aquariums, while the exotic trees are surrounded by old Venetian forts and turrets. A Café on the north side of the garden houses a gallery of creations by local and international artists. From there, guests can enjoy a stunning view of the sea from a high point, as well as the view of the marina of the Old Fortress, the historical island of Vidos, as well as the ships that sail to it. These gardens were previously named as “Royal Garden” but when the Greek monarchy ended, the place was renamed as “Garden of the People”.
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