Church of St. George (Old Fortress)

The church of St. George dates back to the English Protection of the Ionian Islands (1815-1864). Construction work began in 1840, based on plans drawn up by the English military architect Anthony Emmett in order to serve the religious needs of the British garrison stationed at the Old Fortress. From a morphological point of view, the church belongs to the so-called 'Georgian style', a neoclassical architectural movement already prevalent in England at the time. The inside of the church was divided into three parts with two rows of cast-iron columns on which a gallery rested, being extended on the three sides of the Π-shaped building. The original internal structure of the church has been altered due to the damage it suffered during World War II and the bombing of Corfu and today the church’s interior has been unified. The Anglican Church was converted into an Orthodox one after the retreat of the English and the union of the Ionian Islands with Greece (on 21 May 1864). In 1864, the well-known Voulgaris family of Corfu donated to St. George the stone iconostasis from the church of St. Spyridon whose icons were created by the great 17th century painter Emmanuel Tzanes. Today the Church celebrates Divine Liturgy twice a year. Moreover, it organizes periodic exhibitions and musical or other events. References / Bibliography - Αγοροπούλου – Μπιρμπίλη Α., Η αρχιτεκτονική της πόλεως της Κέρκυρας κατά την περίοδο της Ενετοκρατίας, Αθήνα 1976. - Παπαγεωργίου Σ.Κ., Ιστορία της εκκλησίας της Κέρκυρας από της συστάσεως αυτής μέχρι του νυν, Κέρκυρα, 1920. - Βοκοτόπουλος Π., Εικόνες της Κέρκυρας, Αθήνα 1990. - Λύκισσας Μ., Η Κέρκυρα εστία μεταβυζαντινής αγιογραφίας, Αθήνα 1960.