Saint Spyridon Church, Corfu (must see)

Saint Spyridon died in the 4th century AD. He had suffered some persecution for his faith while he lived. After his death, his remains continued to be pursued. They were kept in Constantinople. In 1489 the Byzantine Empire fell to the Ottomans. Again his remains were moved. This time they were taken to Corfu by the monk Georgios Kalochairetis.

Georgios' daughter, Asimia, received the saints' remains as a dowry when she married into the Voulgaris family of Corfu. The Voulgaris family kept the saint in their private church. The church was demolished in the 1580s. The remains were then taken to the new church built within the city walls.

The Church of Saint Spyridon and its bell tower are similar in design to the Church of San Georgio Dei Greci in Venice. Inside the crypt are two sarcophagi, one within the other where the saint's remains are kept. The crypt has 53 incense burners. Eighteen are gold. The rest are silver.

Ceiling panels depict scenes of Saint Spyridon's life and miracles. The paintings, created in 1727, had to be copied over because of rot damage. The Romanov imperial coat of arms is above the west door of the narthex.

It is believed Saint Spyridon miraculously saved Corfu by raising a storm in the siege of 1716. The Venetian Senate donated a silver lamp to hang in the west corner of the nave. The inscription read: "For the Salvation of Corfu, to the Patron Saint Spyridon."