2 CORFU PANORAMA English_1

The Architecture of Temples
Discovering Corfu, we are impressed by the many churches,
about 800, which are found both in the city and in the
countryside of Corfu.
A possible explanation of the large number of churches is,
on the one hand, the freedom of religious beliefs established
by the Venetians and, on the other hand, the fact that most
of them belonged to guilds of professionals or wealthy
families able to afford the expenses of their construction and
maintenance.
Τhe first temples of Corfu were not parish, as we know them
today, but corporate. In other words, people of the same
occupation undertook the construction and maintenance
of a temple.
The vast majority of the churches on the island were built
during the mid-16 th century until the early 18 th century.
The oldest church of the city, the Byzantine church of
Saints Jason and Sosipatros, was built in the 11 th century.
The architectural style that prevails in the churches of the
city is the Basilica with the wooden roof and one or, more
rarely, three aisles (narthexes). Their belfries are usually
towering with Venetian elements. There are also simpler
constructions with perforated walls closing up and with bells
hanging from their openings.
The interior of the temples consists of three areas.
The sanctuary, separated from the nave with a wooden
iconostasis, the main temple with the flat roof, the “Ourania”,
adorned with hagiographies in embossed golden Baroque
frames, and the balcony.
The impressive compositions in most “Ouranies” in the
temples of Corfu are inspired by the Venetian art and are
characteristic specimens of the Ionian iconography.
The interior of the church is often covered with purple or
blue upholstery and adorned with portable hanging icons.
The icons in the churches of Corfu belong to the post-
Byzantine period and are mainly works of Cretan painters,
Michael Damaskinos, Emmanuel Tzane, Konstantinos
Kontarinis and of local artists using the same style.
A church’s window of Byzantine style.
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