Cathedral of Saint James and Saint Christopher

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Cathedral of Saint Jacob and Saint Christopher
Corfu Catholic Cathedral R01.jpg
Cathedral of Saint James and Saint Christopher, Corfu
LocationCorfu
CountryGreece
Administration
DioceseRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Corfu, Zakynthos and Cephalonia (since 1553)

Cathedral of Saint Jacob and Saint Christopher is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Corfu, Zakynthos and Cephalonia. The church houses an extensive collection of paintings one of the most important is the Virgin Vrefokratousa Enthroned by Konstantinos Tzanes painted in 1654.[1]

History of the building[]

Virgin and Child Tzanes

The old cathedral was located in the Old Fortress of Corfu and was dedicated to the apostle's Peter and Paul. This temple was one of the oldest monuments of the old fortress and was originally an Orthodox Cathedral. From the 13th to the 17th century it was a Catholic Cathedral. Originally the church was a three-aisled basilica. A small chapel dedicated to Saint Arsenius was next to it. Saint Arsenius was the first bishop of Corfu (876-952). He came from Bithynia of Judea.[2]

The church was erected in the 15th century. There was a church built between 1431-1451. The brotherhood of Saint James and Saint Christopher requested permission from Archbishop Martinus Bernardini to build housing for the poor, a hospital, and a hotel for travelers. Next to the structure for the poor, a church was supposed to be built. Permission was granted by order of the pope on July 7, 1466. The brotherhood was required to hire a priest and a church committee. Every year the church of Rome on February 2 provided one litra of candles to commemorate the transfer of icons of Saint James and Saint Christopher from the church of Saint Francis to the new church. In another version of the story, two small churches were built to commemorate Saint Jason and Sosipater. About one hundred years later on December 31, 1533, Latin Bishop Jacobus Cocco consecrated the church of Saint James and Saint Christopher.[3]

During the second Turkish siege in 1571, the church suffered damages. The Historical Archive of Venice saved a draft of the 1622 proposal showing the extension of the building because it was too small for the needs of a cathedral. In 1658, it was renovated by the Latin Archbishop Carclus Labia at his own expense. During the reign of Labia, the archbishop of Corfu added the official celebration of Saint Spyridon. After the reconstruction of the church, it was declared a Catholic Cathedral in August 1632. Around the same period, General Provident Philip Pasqualligo ordered the Latin Bishop Benodictus Bragadinus (1620-1623) to transfer the bones of Saint Arsenius from the church to the Diocese. A famous painting of the Virgin and Child was completed by Greek painter Konstantinos Tzanes in 1654, it is located in the church. His brother Emmanuel Tzanes finished the Lady the Lambovitissa around the same period. Both paintings are very similar.[4][5]

On October 23, 1709, the church was renovated again by the Latin Archbishop Augustinus Zacco (1706-1723) and was the center of Catholic worship rituals of the island. The church was destroyed in 1718 by a fire caused by an explosion of gunpowder. A smaller building was rebuilt. The Greek Orthodox Church built a small chapel inside the cathedral dedicated to Saint Arsenius. The renovation before the war was done by Engineer Serpieri. In 1905, he reformed the exterior of the Temple. On the night of September 13, 1943, the church was bombed by the German Luftwaffe, almost completely destroying its interior. The catholic Diocese returned the bones of Saint Arsenius to the church in 1944.[6]

Final form of the building[]

Interior

The final form of the building after the additional extensions is an aisled wooden roofed basilica with three-sided chapels on each side. They are monastic vaults connected to the main aisle with arched openings) and a polygonal sanctuary particularly created in impressive size. Before the repair, the main altar was once located deep in the Sanctuary and covered with ciborium. It was configured in parts, with architectural elements and sculptures from the Temple of the Annunciation. The total area of the Cathedral (Temple and aisles) is about 600 sq.m.

Access to the temple is from the west side, there are three doorways, a main central door, and two symmetrical other doors. The inner side is shaped like a balcony. It features a narrow body and has been rebuilt from reinforced concrete. The floor rested on four marble columns with very old trunks from an Old Fortress or from an ancient temple and capitals from the later part of the 17th century. The roof of the main temple is situated at a height of 9.20 meters from the floor, around the base of the gable roof, which nests beams indicated in the plans of the stent. Records show that before the war it was decorated with pictures of Christ, the Virgin Mary and the Apostles.[7]

The exterior of the church was transformed in the early 20th century. The central part of the facade comprises three parts, they are organized on (Tuscan pilasters) in a two-story layout and result in a triangular pediment. Curved blades connect the ends and lower portions of the central building. The theme is reminiscent of the Late Baroque churches of Venice. Most of them are based on the design of the Church of the Gesù. The front is accompanied by a Gothic tower, while the bell and steeple are relatively small, they feature a pyramidal ending in the back next to the sanctuary.[8]

Chapels inside the church[]

  • Chapel of Saint Spyridon and Saint Arsenic inside the church
  • Chapel with the Byzantine icon of Our Lady of Health
  • Chapel of St. Theresa of Lizzie
  • Chapel of Saint Spyridon and Saint Arsenic
  • Chapel of Immaculate Conception of Mary
  • Chapel of Panachrantos Sacrament of the Eucharist

Sources[]

References[]

  1. ^ Hatzidakis, Manolis; Drakopoulou, Evgenia (1997). Έλληνες Ζωγράφοι μετά την Άλωση (1450–1830). Τόμος 2: Καβαλλάρος – Ψαθόπουλος [Greek Painters after the Fall of Constantinople (1450–1830). Volume 2: Kavallaros – Psathopoulos]. Athens: Center for Modern Greek Studies, National Research Foundation. p. 424. ISBN 960-7916-00-X.
  2. ^ [Afr.Agoropoulou- Mpirmpili: The Architecture of Corfu Latin Churches and position of the fabric of the city during the Venetian practical VII panioniou Lefkada Conference 26–30 May 2002 Volume II Athens 2004]
  3. ^ [Afr.Agoropoulou- Mpirmpili: The Architecture of Corfu Latin Churches and position of the fabric of the city during the Venetian practical VII panioniou Lefkada Conference 26–30 May 2002 Volume II Athens 2004]
  4. ^ Hatzidakis, 1997, p 424
  5. ^ [Dim.Chr.Kapadochou: Tribute to History of Corfu Athens 2001]
  6. ^ [Dim.Chr.Kapadochou: Tribute to History of Corfu Athens 2001]
  7. ^ [Sp.K.Papageorgiou: History Ekklisias of Kerkyras.Kerkyra 1920]
  8. ^ [Afr.Agoropoulou- Mpirmpili: The Architecture of Corfu Latin Churches and position of the fabric of the city during the Venetian practical VII panioniou Lefkada Conference 26–30 May 2002 Volume II Athens 2004]

Coordinates: 39°37′25″N 19°55′19″E / 39.6236°N 19.9219°E / 39.6236; 19.9219

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