Church of St. John the Baptist in Sternes

The church of St. John the Baptist in Sternes is located on Nikiforos Theotokis St., on the road leading from Spianada to Spilia. During Venetian Rule, the name of this street, which is one of the most central streets of the Old Town, was Calle delle Erbe or dei Mercanti. In the north of the church there is a small square in which during the Venetian rule there were public water tanks (sternes). That is why the church took the name St. John "in Sternes". The church is closely linked to the development of the town. It was constructed in the first years of the 16th century and was a synodal church (di confraternita). Until 1712, it was a cathedral of the Protopapas. The church belongs to the one-roomed Ionian basilica type with a three-sided sanctuary arch and a U-shaped "exonarthex" perimeter corridor. The temple is covered with a tiled roof and its exterior is simple featuring a gradual arrangement of the roofs. The main church is elevated in relation to the perimeter corridor and is illuminated by the semicircular windows on the long sides. The perforated bell tower that rises in the northeast corner is of particular interest. The iconostasis is adorned by remarkable icons. Other notable works are the Crucified painted by Spyridon Sperantzas (1733-1818), just above the despotic throne, the Epitaph, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and other portable icons of the church. The relics of Saints John Chrysostomos and John Damaskinos are also kept in the church. Some post-Byzantine wall paintings as well as several gravestones are preserved in the exonarthex. One gravestone covers the grave of a Russian captain who passed away in 1799 and another, which bears the inscription "ΕΝΘΑΔΕ ΚΕΙΤΑΙ Ο ΙΕΡΟΣ ΜΙΧΑΗΛ" (HERE LIES SAINT MICHAEL), covers the grave of a priest of the church. The Greek scholar and teacher Nikiforos Theotokis (1731-1800) also taught in the church. The church celebrates on 29 August. References / Bibliography - Αγοροπούλου – Μπιρμπίλη Α., Η αρχιτεκτονική της πόλεως της Κέρκυρας κατά την περίοδο της Ενετοκρατίας, Αθήνα 1976. - Αγοροπούλου – Μπιρμπίλη Α., «Η εκκλησία του Αγ. Ιωάννη του Προδρόμου στην πόλη της Κέρκυρας», Εκκλησίες στην Ελλάδα μετά την Άλωση, τ. 2, Αθήνα 1982, σελ. 99-110. - Παπαγεωργίου Σ.Κ., Ιστορία της εκκλησίας της Κέρκυρας από της Συστάσεως αυτής μέχρι του νυν, Κέρκυρα 1920. - Καρύδης Σ., Δημουλάς Γ., Πουλής Γ., Χώροι λατρείας και κλήρος στην Κέρκυρα του 17ου αιώνα. Αρχειακά τεκμήρια, Εισαγωγή-Έκδοση-Σχόλια, Αναγνωστική Εταιρία Κέρκυρας, Κέρκυρα 2018.