Kardaki Temple, Corfu

The water fountain stopped flowing in 1822. It had never done that in living memory. The British engineers discovered the channel was blocked by stones. The stones came from a temple heretofore unknown. They had found the Temple of Kardaki, what was left of it. More discoveries were made in 1911-1914 by German archeologist Wilhelm Dorpfeld.

The Temple of Kardaki is located in the park of the Mon Repos estate on the east side of the peninsula of Analipsis. It dates from the late Archaic Era, circa 510 BC. The name is taken from the Kardaki fountain, close by. At first, it was thought the temple was dedicated to the god Apollo, but there was no proof.

Further excavations seemed to indicate both Poseidon and Asclepius as the venerated deities. It is a Doric temple, small, 39 feet by 84 feet in area. Despite being Doric in character, it had some Ionic elements. It has six columns on its narrow sides and 12 on the long sides. A central rectangular shape might be the riser of a statue.

The temple is unusual. It has no frieze. In this way, it resembles some Sicilian temples. It is thought to be the only Doric-style Greek temple. Water still flows from the spring of Kardaki. Some say to drink the water will make a traveler wish to stay forever. Could it be the gods are still at work?