Church of Saint Sophia and Saint Joseph

The Church of St. Sophia and St. Joseph is located in the Jewish quarter, at the beginning of Velissariou St. It was built in 1650 by the priest Augustine Denoris and underwent many changes over the years. At first, it was a proprietary church and belonged to the Gavalas family. Thanks to the care and personal work of the guild of carpenters and builders, later founders and synods of the church, St. Sophia and St. Joseph church was rescued and restored in 1846. Between 1848 and 1851, the church took its final form thanks to the work done by the architect Ioannis Chronis. It is a one-room wooden-roofed church without a protruding sanctuary apse. Its entrance is on the west side and ends in a pediment. Above the main door there is a large semicircular skylight. The perforated wall bell tower rises in the northwest corner. Above the main door there is a stone slab with the inscription "ΟΥΤΟΣ Ο ΙΕΡΟΣ ΝΑΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΑΓΙΑΣ ΜΑΡΤΥΡΟΣ ΣΟΦΙΑΣ Κ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΙΩΣΗΦ ΤΟΥ ΜΝΗΣΤΟΡΟΣ ΑΝΕΚΑΙΝΙΣΘΗ ΕΝ ΕΤΕΙ ΣΩΤΗΡΙΩ ΑΩΝΑ" (THIS HOLY CHURCH OF SAINT MARTYR SOPHIA AND SAINT JOSEPH THE BLESSED WAS RENOVATED ANNO DOMINI) (1851). The church features a marble iconostasis. Jesus Christ is depicted in the center of the "ourania" (illustrated roof). Some sacred vessels such as silver candles, censers, a Gospel with silver lining (1824) and a silver disc (1878) are preserved. Several of these valuable objects were donated by the members of the carpenters' and masons' guilds. REFERENCES 1) Παπαγεωργίου Σ. Κ., Ιστορία της Εκκλησίας της Κέρκυρας από της Συστάσεως αυτής μέχρι του νυν, Κέρκυρα 1920. 2) Καρύδης Σ. Χ., Ορθόδοξες Αδελφότητες και Συναδελφικοί Ναοί στην Κέρκυρα (15ος – 19ος αι.), Αθήνα 2004.