Churches

There are nearly 800 churches and monasteries in Corfu, both in Corfu town and the countryside. Except for a number of early Christian and Byzantine churches, most of them were built in the 17th and the 18th century. The most prevalent type of church is the single-nave basilica or less often, basilica with a central nave and two side aisles.

The great number of churches is due to the freedom of religious granted by the Venetians and also that most of them belonged to guilds or to rich families who were able to afford the cost of their construction.

The characteristic feature of most of the churches is the monumental facade, influenced by Italian churches of the 16th century, the tower-like belfry and the ceiling decorated with great paintings and frescoes, being the most of them impressive samples of Heptanesian art.

Most of Corfu city's churches are small and they do not face in any particular direction, as space in the town is so limited and they are usually squeezed in between houses. The interior is divided into the sanctuary, separated from the main body of the church by a iconostasis, the main part of the church and the women's gallery ('gynaikonitis').