The history of the church
It was built in 1840 to meet the religious needs of the English soldiers who served in Corfu during the period of English Protection (1814 – 1864).
Materials were used for the construction of the church from the demolished houses of the surrounding area. In 1865, with the integration of Corfu in Greece, the church of Agios Georgios was converted from an Anglican Church to an Orthodox one, which was inaugurated on March 21, 1865 The Metropolitan of Corfu, Athanasios Politis, dedicated it to Agios Georgios, protector of the Infantry Corps.
At that time it was decorated with the old iconostasis of the church of Agios Spyridon, a work of the famous Cretan hagiographer, Emmanuel Janne. The iconostasis was donated by the Voulgaris family.
The church is of Georgian style and can accommodate a congregation of 4,000 believers.
On the outside, six columns of Doric style support a triangular crown. Internally, its form has changed due to the devastation it suffered during World War II. Initially, two rows of pillars divided the temple into three parts in the three-aisled royal style. The womanite rested on the columns on the three sides of the temple.
Like most churches in Corfu, the church of Agios Georgios was severely damaged by German bombing during World War II (1943).
The building
It was built in 1840 inside the Old Fortress, to serve the English soldiers during the English protection of the island (1814-1864).
With the concession of Corfu to Greece, the church becomes Orthodox. Then it is decorated by the old iconostasis of Agios Spyridon. It was damaged during World War II.
The style is a three-aisled basilica with a gallery and looks like an ancient Doric temple. Internally it has changed its form, due to the renovation after the bombings.
The icons
In this church the inhabitants of Parga deposited the icons of the churches of the city, when it was handed over by the English and Commissar Maitland to Ali Pasha, in 1819, and many of its inhabitants were hosted in Corfu.
The icons remained in the church of Agios Georgios until March 25, 1930, when the Metropolitan of Corfu, Athenagoras and later the Ecumenical Patriarch, lit them in the streets of the city and handed them over to the Pargians who returned them to their city with the battleship “Averoff”.
Source
orthodoxathemata orthodoxathemata.blogspot.com
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