Sinarades

One of the oldest villages of Corfu, built on the slopes of the hills.

It is 14 km from the city of Corfu and its population is up to 2,000 inhabitants. As is common in many mountain villages found on the island of Corfu, it was built in such a way, to be protected from the frequent naval attacks of pirates.

The village of Sinarades is a traditional village, especially beloved as a passage to the famous beach of Agios Gordios, while equally popular destination is the beach Kontogialos. Nearby beautiful and traditional villages that are worth visiting are Kouramades, Pelekas and a little further the village with the rich history Kynopiastes.

The village could be named as “the village that came back to life”, since while it was built in the mid-Byzantine years, it was abandoned and colonized again in 1669.

Its new inhabitants were refugees from Crete, a fact that today is reflected in the ending of many surnames of the inhabitants of the island that end in -akis, such as Doukakis, Vasilakis.

The name of the village has many versions as to its origin.

The most dominant one is that it was named after an old Byzantine noble family called Sinaras / Synaras. The name after a noble families is a very common fact when it comes to the old villages of Corfu.

Another version is that it took its name by the occupation of the inhabitants having to do with the  agriculture, where the use of axes gave the name Axinarades, or the last version as to the origin of the village is that it is related to the ancient greek “co-arato”.

The houses

The settlement of Sinarades is another settlement that was built in such a way as to prevent the attacks of pirates, this construction that it presents is found in many other parts of the island.
The typical “volta”  as they call them, as well as the curved doors at the entrances, are some of the features of the local architecture, that definately stand out.

The churches

The churches in the settlement are also of great importance, as the oldest of them were built around the end of the 15th century.
Impressive are their bell towers as well as the icons inside, signed by remarkable hagiographers.
If you are in the village of Sinarades, it is worth visiting the Church of Agios Nikolaos and Agios Spyridon located in the center of the village near the main square. The church was renovated in 1990 with the sandblasting process that followed on its iconostasis, a stone iconostasis of great architectural importance was revealed.

One of the very interesting places worth visiting in the area is “Aerostato”. 12 km from the center of Corfu you can admire the unique view, that gives you the feeling that you are inside a hot-air balloon.

There are many more interesting places to visit in the area.

The pine forest above the beaches of Dehoumenon, Mavrou Ammos, Mavron Plaka and Gialiskari.

The Island of Kyra-Dikia (Kyra-Dikaia or Kera-Dikia) located on the horizon of the “Balloon” took its name from the church of Panagas Kyra-Dikaia located there.
Nowadays the church is open twice a year, on June 29 and September 8, but according to documents that have been saved, it is said that a rope started from Simantiri and reached the island, so that the monks who lived on the island could , to warn of any pirate raids or emergencies.

The Folklore Museum of Sinarades “Nikos Paktitis”

The Historical Folklore Museum of Middle Corfu is located in the village of Sinarades, it is a flashback to the history of Corfu and it is worth visiting. The animator and president of the Folklore Society of Mesi is the retired teacher Nikos Paktitis, who has been involved since the 1950s. The result of this engagement was the creation of the Folklore Society of Middle Corfu, an association that aims to gather and highlight everything related to our popular culture.

Sinarades Philharmonic
Founded in 1961, it initially consisted of 15 people, but today has exceeded 75.  Sinarades Philharmonic participates in all major music events on the island, such as the processions of Corfu on Palm Sunday and the 11th of August, organizes concerts and has a constant presence in the religious and festive events of the village.

Youth Center
Next to the church there is a  Youth Center in which various departments operate. Among the departments that stand out is the teaching of traditional dances, the library, etc. , under the same roof are held interesting events, speeches and lectures.