Greece is a country chosen by the Gods. Part 4. Corfu Island
The main attraction of Greece is its islands. Usually the Greek islands are divided into two groups - the Ionian Islands (the so-called Eptanis - "Seven Islands", including Corfu, Kefalintia, Zakynthos and Lefkada) forming the western arc, and the Aegean Islands. Corfu - the second largest of the islands of the Ionian Sea, the northernmost and westernmost territory of Greece, stretches parallel to mainland Greece for 65 km. Its total area is 592 sq. km, the length of the coastline is 217 km. 110 thousand inhabitants live here. “He was loved by both gods and people” and this is the pure truth. The history of the marvelous island of Corfu, according to ancient myths, was laid by the god of the seas, Poseidon. Having fallen in love with the daughter of the river Asopa, Poseidon kidnapped her, settled her on the most beautiful of the islands of the Ionian Sea and named the island Kerkyra (in Greek Corfu) in honor of his beloved. Starting so surprisingly, the history of the island knew no rest from romantic adventures. The island was sung by Homer - on it, having obtained the Golden Fleece, Jason and the sorceress Medea escaped from the persecution of the Colchians, the valiant Odysseus found shelter here on the way to his native Ithaca. It was a favorite resting place and inspiration for great artists, writers and poets, including Goethe, Wilde, Gerald and Laurence Durell, Sisley and Lear. On February 11.1776, Ioann Kapodistrias, Russian and Greek statesman, head of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1816-1822) and the first ruler of independent Greece (1827-1831) was born on this island. Corfu is also the birthplace of another intellectual and educator, Evgenios Voulgaris, former director of the Royal Library in St. Petersburg.
The nature of the island is diverse and truly admirable, and its main trump card is naturalness. Transparent clean sea, "lace", intricately indented coast, where in the heaviest influx of tourists you can always find a cozy cove for a family or single vacation. The island will literally captivate with its luxurious nature, where cypresses, pines, myrtle trees, tangerine and lemon gardens coexist next to the famous olive groves. There are rocky shores on the west coast, and mountains, and plains with golden sandy beaches in the north and east of the island, and lakes, and lagoons with waterfowl, and picturesque rivers along which small boats float. The climate of the island is mild, summers are cool (average temperature is not more than 30 degrees C), winters are mild and humid.
It was to this island that our group headed in the early morning. Having plunged into the port of the city of Igoumenitsa on a ferry, we set off to discover the shores of an island not so distant from the mainland.
The boat trip along the Ionian Sea was short and not boring: other ships sailed along the course, small islands sailed, and Corfu itself was in our field of vision for a short journey. Sailing to the port of Kerkyra, we were the first to see the Old Fortress with a clearly visible Grand Cross on a hill. Now, elegant sports yachts are parked at the northern walls of the bastion.
After 1 hour 40 minutes, we unloaded at the port of the main city of the island of Kerkyra and went to the village of Paleokastritsa, located 26 km northwest of the capital of the island.
Near Paleokastritsa, near the town of Krini, on an inaccessible peak, there is Angelokastro, a Byzantine fortress of the 13th century. The highest point of the island is Mount Pantokrator (height - 906 m), which is located in the northeastern part of Corfu.
Soon we are approaching Paleokastritsa, the second largest resort on the west coast and one of the most popular resorts in Corfu. Sir Frederick Adam, High Commissioner of Great Britain in the period 1824-1831, liked this place so much that he ordered a road to be built here from the city of Corfu. It is not difficult to understand what struck the High Commissioner so. After all, Paleokastritsa is a real paradise in miniature. Three large bays cut into the wooded coast here, forming many picturesque bays with sandy beaches, the emerald sea and underwater caves. The sea is shallow, so the resort is attractive for families with children. Pleasure boats ply to the nearby grottoes, the beaches have everything you need for water sports. The bays are surrounded by rocky mountains with rich vegetation.
On the top of a high mountain stands the Byzantine male monastery Zoodokhu Pigis (“Life-Giving Spring”), founded in 1226 and dedicated to the Mother of God.
When the bus climbed to the top along the steep slopes, the view from there cannot be mistaken for reality - it is so beautiful and as if drawn. Mountains strewn with greenery, multi-colored oleanders and tall cypress trees simply do not let the admiring glance come off.
There is even a traffic light at the entrances to the monastery, because it is a one-lane road. And here we are in front of a small gate with the image of the Mother of God at the top. We go to this interesting and beautiful monastery.
The entire territory of the monastery is literally buried in beautiful plants: huge bunches of grapes hang overhead, surrounded on all sides by creepers with lilac flowers. There are also many cats here - they live freely here, it is clear that God's grace has extended to them.
We visit the church of the monastery. Once upon a time, a plague raged here. The inhabitants of the island gathered at the church, praying to St. Spyridon for deliverance from the terrible epidemic. At that moment, an image of the plague appeared on the threshold of the church, which all the parishioners saw. The image of St. Spyridon appeared there, who drove the plague from the threshold of the church, which is why three huge furrows have remained on the threshold to this day. The terrible epidemic on the island is over. This church is famous for the icon of the Mother of God "Life-Giving Spring", which to this day heals people and to which believers come with their gifts.
There is a small museum on the territory of the monastery, where icons and old church books are exhibited as exhibits, as well as a small shop where you can buy liquor, honey, and sweets.
Leaving the cozy monastery, we approach the observation deck, from where a wonderful panorama of the Ionian Sea opens from a height. A Russian cannon is installed on the site, left over from the time of Russian rule of the island.
Having descended from the picturesque mountain, the group splits up: someone preferred a short boat trip to the grottoes, someone decided to try a local restaurant or just walk around the village. Some people, including me, decided to swim in the emerald warm waters of the Ionian Sea.
Returning from Paleokastritsa, we admire the amazing lush nature of the island. More than forty species of wild orchids grow in the forests, grace reigns from the greenery of olive and pomegranate trees, date palms, and vineyards.
We visit the Vasilakis factory, where liqueurs and sweets are made from kumkuat, dwarf Chinese oranges that grow only on this island. The locals make delicious jam and liquor from it. Having tasted enough, or rather refreshed ourselves with delicious liqueurs, olive oil with bread, sweets, having bought the products we liked, we continue our acquaintance with the picturesque island.
Here I would like to dwell in more detail on the interesting history of the island, because it attracts the hearts of people not only with the enchanting beauty of nature. The beauty of Kerkyra and its strategic position as a kind of bridge between East and West have always attracted various conquerors. Scheria, Korifo, Kerkyra, Corfu - all these are the names of the same island, which is considered the "island of eternal returns"... According to mythology, the name "Scheria" was given to the island thanks to the goddess Demeter, who asked the god of the seas Poseidon to stop the skid (schin) a river that threatened to turn the island into a place of mud. At the time of the Byzantines, the island was called "Korifo" (peak), because two peaks towered above its Acropolis. This name subsequently received the Latin sound "Corfu" and became known throughout the world. Today Corfu is more often called "Kerkyra". Apparently, this name is closer to the musical inhabitants of this beautiful romantic island. The word "Kerkyra" is associated with a legend from Greek myths. The daughter of the Asopu River, the beautiful nymph Kerkyra, blinded with her beauty the god of the seas, Poseidon, who, having stolen, took her to the island of Pladom, where the son of Theaks was born, who became the ancestor of all the feaks.
In ancient times, the island became a bone of contention between Athens and Corinth, which led to the Peloponnesian War. Later, Corfu was taken under the protection of the Roman Empire and for five centuries coexisted peacefully with the Romans. During this period, Kerkyra adopted Christianity. Later, Corfu came under the rule of the Sicilians and became part of the Angevin kingdom, but this period did not last long. From 1386 to 1797 the island was part of the Venetian Republic. The rule of the Venetians was marked by many positive aspects: they did not prohibit the practice of Orthodoxy and the construction of Orthodox churches (although it was necessary to choose architecture not of the Byzantine, but of the Western style). At this time, progress in education began, which was concentrated in the monasteries of Corfu. The wealthy inhabitants of the island got the opportunity to study in Italy. A positive factor of Venetian rule was the incentive for the inhabitants of Corfu to cultivate exclusively olive trees, of which there are about 4 million on the island today. The olive trees of Corfu are taller than the cypresses, which creates a unique landscape that is unique to this island. Thanks to the Venetians, Kerkyra became the only part of Greece that did not fall under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. All attacks of the Turks were repulsed, which was facilitated by powerful defensive structures in the capital of the island and on its western shores. For some time, the island was under the control of the Republic of Seven Islands - the first form of Greek statehood since the fall of Constantinople, which existed in 1800-1807 as a protectorate in the form of Turkish, in fact Russian. In 1807, after the adoption of the Treaty of Tilsit, according to which the Russian government was replaced by the French, the French occupied Kerkyra, who also managed to leave a positive mark on the history of the island by founding the first Greek university here - the Ionian Academy. The French are also associated with the emergence of new crops on the island - potatoes and tomatoes. After the collapse of the empire of Napoleon, Kerkyra passes into the hands of the British. Their reign was marked by the construction of excellent roads (which are still in operation today), a reservoir and many administrative buildings. Under the British, the Orthodox Church continued to operate freely and build churches, and Greek became the official language of the island. On May 21.1864, the Ionian Islands became part of Greece. Every year this date is widely celebrated in every locality of Corfu, which attracts a large number of tourists to the island, and in the capital of Corfu, all 16 philharmonics hold demonstration performances, organize parades and concerts.
In the meantime, we drove up to the Achilleo Palace - the beautiful palace of Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of Austria (Sisi), which is located near the picturesque village of Gastouri and 20 km from the capital of the island, Corfu.
In 1889, the only son of the Empress, Crown Prince Rudolf, who was the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, tragically died. In order to somehow alleviate the grief that befell her, the empress began the construction of a summer residence on the island of Corfu, the main theme of which would be the life and death of Achilles, the hero of the Trojan War. Sisi was a beautiful, powerful and intelligent woman. She was fond of many things, including the history of ancient Greece. Sisi spoke Greek much better than the then kings of Greece. She decided to devote her later life to a deeper study of the culture of Greece. Achillion was built by the Italian architect Rafael Caritto. After Sisi's death, the palace was purchased from her heirs by Kaiser Wilhelm II, who also used it as his summer residence. The stern German Kaiser Wilhelm II, who bought the estate in 1907, could not resist the charm of Achillion. He diversified the vegetation of the garden with rare species, and also carried out archaeological excavations in Agia Theodori. During the visits of the Kaiser to Achillion, the control center of his vast empire moved here. During the First World War, Achillion housed a military hospital, and after it ended, the palace became the property of the Greek state. Today, the Achillion Palace is a wonderful museum, which contains many interesting works of art and evidence of history: the outlandish chair-village of the Kaiser, paintings with Achilles, bizarre furniture. Here you can see the chapel of the sad Sisi, her portraits and personal belongings. The museum presents the entire history of her life up to her death in 1898 at the hands of an Italian anarchist.
Our focus is on the front staircase and the beautiful interior decor.
In addition to the museum halls, the palace has a beautiful three-level garden and alleys of extraordinary beauty surrounding the palace, with antique statues, offering a breathtaking panorama of the island and the sea, the town of Perama and a view of Kanoni and Pontikonisi (mouse island) - the main attraction of Corfu, the church Blachernae, standing right in the water.
Several of the sculptures decorating Achillion Park were made by the famous German sculptor Ernst Herter. The most famous work of the master and the most beloved statue of Sisi is certainly the “Dying Achilles”, which Herter created in 1884 in Berlin. She depicts Achilles, mortally wounded in the heel.
Achilles (Achilles) - the invincible and brave hero of numerous legends of Ancient Greece, who was not taken by any enemy arrows. The legend says that the mother of Achilles Thetis, wanting to make her son invulnerable, dipped the boy into the waters of the sacred river Styx. But, dipping, she held him by the heel (heel) and therefore the heel turned out to be unconsecrated and remained unprotected. In one of the battles, Achilles' opponent Paris shot an arrow into Achilles' heel and killed him. Since then, the expression "Achilles' heel" denotes a weak side, "sick", a weak point of something or someone. This side can be both physical and moral.
The brass statue of Achilles the Conqueror, made by Goetsch, was already placed by William II on the middle terrace of the garden. The German Kaiser, being a highly educated person, deeply revered the culture of Ancient Greece. On a huge statue of an ancient Greek hero, he placed the inscription: “To the greatest Greek from the greatest German, ” but after the Second World War, the inscription was destroyed.
The courtyard is decorated with busts of philosophers and statues of nine muses. There are also fountains and several sculptures.
After visiting Achillion, we head to the capital of Corfu, the city of Kerkyra. The eventful history of the island, the contact and influence of leading European cultures: Greek, Italian, French and English, could not but affect the image of Corfu and its lifestyle. The high standard of living, the modern way of thinking of the inhabitants has transformed the capital of the island into one of the most elegant capitals of the regions of all Greece, even though many buildings in the city were destroyed during the Second World War. In summer, Corfu is bustling with tourist activity, as the city is both a port where ferries from other islands arrive and a city with an international airport.
The main attractions of Corfu - Spianada Square, Liston Street - are both the center of the city's tourist life and a favorite meeting place. At the same time, in the Old City of Kerkyra there are two ancient fortresses - Old and New, the latter is a huge complex of defensive structures erected in the northeastern part of the city. Huge walls dominate the landscape along the road that runs from the New Port through the fish market to the city.
We pass by the Palace of Saints Michael and George (Palea Anaktora), a large complex of Romanesque buildings used to house the King of Greece and the British governors of the island. Currently, it houses the Museum of Oriental Art, the Municipal Art Gallery, and is also used for various exhibitions. In front of the palace is a statue dedicated to Sir Frederick Adam, the British ruler of Corfu. The gardens are to the right of the monument just behind the archway. The palace gardens, filled with old Venetian ponds, exotic trees and flowers, rise above the bay, visible through the old Venetian fortifications and towers.
The graceful old quarters of the capital of Corfu, full of real everyday life, testify to the wealth and prosperity of bygone times. With their elegance, they soften the harsh power of two fortresses built in ancient times and fortified by the Byzantines in the 16th century.
In the archaeological museum of the city - the best in the entire archipelago - you can see the remains of the Dorian temple of Artemis, built in these places in 590 BC. e. One of the most interesting exhibits of the museum is the pediment of the Gorgon found during excavations of the temple with images of panthers and battle scenes from ancient myths. On the Esplanade during the summer season, you can often listen to a concert by the oldest orchestra in Greece, for which Corfu is known. The city is also famous for the Corkyrea Carnival, which has its roots in the tradition of the Venetian "comedy of masks". The carnival begins on the first Sunday of Shrove Tuesday and continues for weeks. The whole island sings, dances and takes part in the masquerade. On the last Sunday there is a big carnival parade and a competition for the best costume. The king of the carnival leaves his will and burns. . .
If I had to describe the features of Corfu in a few words, then I would choose these: the greenery of a thousand olive trees, cypresses, European architecture, Venetian houses, English palaces, churches and monasteries, musical people, brass bands, religious and national holidays, parks and fountains. . . In general, Corfu is absolutely different from other Greek islands. By its very existence, it once again testifies that Greece is unique in its diversity and deserves careful study.
The city center of Corfu was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2007, is under state protection and is a real historical and artistic value. We walk along the picturesque narrow streets of the “kantun”, which can only be walked on foot.
A block from Liston is the church of Bios Spyridon, its bell tower towering over the entire city. On December 12, Kerkyra celebrates the day of St. Spyridon, the patron saint of the island, who repeatedly saved Kerkyra from Turkish invasions, famine and plague. Here you can see a silver-encrusted coffin with incorruptible relics of St. Spyridon, who is very revered here, after whom half of the male population of the island is named. It is not known when and for what reasons the right hand (hand) was separated from the body of the saint, but until 1984 it was kept in the Church of the Mother of God in Rome, until it was returned to Corfu and placed in the silver coffin of the saint with the rest of the relics. The imperishable relics are opened daily and believers can approach them. Thus, you can see with your own eyes that the body of St. Spyridon has been incorruptible for 17 centuries. The body of the saint has the temperature of a living person (36.6 degrees C), his hair and nails grow. Scientists still cannot explain this phenomenon and admit that it is a miracle. There are days when the shrine with relics does not open, the key does not turn. It is believed that on such days St. Spyridon is simply not in revenge, he walks around the island and helps those in need. It seems like a fiction, but every year the ministers of the church change the saint's clothes and shoes, because it wears out. From the remnants of these clothes, the servants make amulets, cutting them into small particles and putting them into small envelopes with the image of St. Spyridon. I received the same package.
Near the church of Bios Spyridon is the Cathedral of Panagia Spiliotissa (Virgin in the Caves), which was built in 1577. After the expansion of the nave in 1841, it became the main temple of Corfu. In its premises you can see beautiful ancient icons, among which is the famous image of St. George the Victorious by the Cretan artist Michael Damaskinos. The cathedral is also dedicated to St. Blaise and St. Theodora, the Byzantine empress, whose relics were brought to Corfu at the same time as the relics of St. Spyridon and are located in a silver tomb at the altar. The relics of St. Theodora are taken out only once a year, on Sunday of the Solemnity of Orthodoxy (the first Sunday of Great Lent) - on a holiday celebrating the victory over iconoclasm in 843. It can be noted that this ritual arose recently, in 1984, and the route of the procession differs from the route processions in honor of St. Spyridon. In front of the cathedral stands a bust of Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople, who was Metropolitan of Corfu from 1923-1931, and from 1931 to 1948 served as Exarch of the Church of Constantinople in the Americas. Patriarch Athenagoras is known for his pro-ecumenical views and for revoking the anathema of 1054 against papism on December 7.1965. There are about 800 churches on the island, which emphasizes the special religiosity of the inhabitants of Corfu.
The port of Corfu and its capital is located on the eastern side of the island, which is more sheltered from the wind. There are many small islands around Kerkyra, which can be reached by a small boat. In the depths of Kerkyra, you can find picturesque villages where everything remains the same as in ancient times. The traditional way of life has been preserved here, despite the development of the coastal part of the island. Therefore, even in the peak season, Corfu can offer not only crowded places for recreation, but also secluded bays, remote from tourists and only for those who prefer silence. This combination of peace and fun surrounded by magical nature, the hospitality and temperament of the locals, the purity of the sea water and the mild climate create that unique atmosphere that attracts tourists from all over the world year after year. Disputes over the island of the Illyrians, Athenians, Romans, Byzantines, Normans and Venetians are gone forever - this "Golden Sickle" is finally conquered by tourists. Now their forays are into archaeological and Byzantine museums, and into a unique collection of Asian art. Their bastions are high white cliffs around smooth sandy beaches in numerous picturesque bays, among which is the famous beach of Ermones, where, according to Homer, the princess Nausicaa found Odysseus after the shipwreck. . .
Leaving the island on this beautiful large ferry, I mentally join the enthusiastic responses of tourists from different countries who visited Corfu-Kerkyra: "Corfu is my love", "My paradise", "Without Corfu, I simply would not have known the taste of real joy. " Soaked in true beauty, we discovered the motto of the typical Greek way of life: pleasure, love, happiness and adventure!
