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Welcome to our Newsletter of December 2008 The Weather
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| Picture taken from a balcony in Mouragia on a cloudy day in November 2008
The end of "Little Summer" came with strong winds, sudden storms and cloudy skies. The temperature dropped and winter is on its way. But yet every sunny break comes with the most beautiful colors. The blue of the sea is deep and the sky is crystal clear all the way to the majestic mountain range of the mainland, now capped with snow. We wish you a great winter.
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| A significant part of Corfu's history
The Palace of Saints Michael and George | This elegant neoclassical building, one of the finest monuments on Corfu, is located in the heart of the town at the north end of Spianada Square. The Palace was built by Sir Thomas Maitland (1759-1824), Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands between 1818 and 1823, a period during which Corfu was a British protectorate (1814-1864). Maitland was also Grand Master of the Order of St. Michael and George and it is to this order that the Palace owes its name.
In addition to serving as a spacious residence for the High Commissioner, the building was also used as the British administrative centre. At the same time it was the seat of the Ionian Senate and for a time of the Ionian Parliament, though it was mainly used as the headquarters of the Order of St. Michael and George. Royal Villa. Heliogravure, about 1890 The Palace was designed by General St. George Whitmore (1775-1862), a Royal Engineer in the British army and architect. It is one of the two finest buildings of Neo-classic British style existing in Greece, built with stones from Malta. The other one is the Maitland monument on the other side of the Spianada. The first foundation of the Palace was laid on April 23rd 1819, the name day of St. George the patron saint of England, and its official opening was exactly 4 years later on April 23rd 1823 with a big dance reception. It is said that the total cost of the building was 45,000 British Pounds and that included all the decoration as well as the furnishing which was also designed by him. It is important to mention how beautiful and imposing the 3 large rooms on the first floor are: the Throne Room, the Ball Room and the State Dining Room.
  
The Throne Room The Ball room's ceiling The State Dining Room
According to Whitmore all the sculptures and reliefs decorating the main building of the Palace are the work of the famous Greek sculptor Pavlos Prosalentis (1784-1837), founder of the Academy of Fine Arts (1810). After the end of British rule and the unification of the Ionian Islands with Greece (1864), the Palace passed into the ownership of the Greek state. It suffered considerable damage during the Second World War, but in 1953 the three impressive halls on the first floor were restored. The building was conserved once more in 1992, in order to be used for the Summit Meeting of the member-states of the European Union held on Corfu in 1994.
 The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of knighthood founded in 1818 by the prince Regent, later King George IV, to commemorate the British protectorate over the Ionian islands and Malta, which came under British rule in 1814. Originally membership was exclusively for the inhabitants of the Ionian Islands and Malta, as well as for British citizens who had performed important government services in the Mediterranean area. Since 1879 any citizen of the United Kingdom has been eligible; however, it is an honor conferred mostly on officials in colonial affairs, foreign-service officers and diplomats, and others who have performed important duties in Commonwealth countries. Foreigners can be admitted as "honorary members."    Knight Grand Cross, Collar Knight Grand Cross, Mantle Knight Grand Cross, Star
William IV instituted the three classes of knights of the order, which (in descending order of rank) are knight grand cross or dame grand cross (G.C.M.G.), knight commander or dame commander (K.C.M.G. or D.C.M.G., respectively), and companion (C.M.G.). Membership is limited to 120 knights grand cross, 390 knights commanders, and 1,775 companions. Conferment of the two highest classes of the order entails admission into knighthood. The order's officers are prelate, chancellor, secretary, king of arms, registrar, and gentleman usher of the Blue Rod. Today the Order consists of the Soveregn, a Grand Master (currently the Duke of Kent) and includes three classes : 125 Knights and Dames Grand Cross (GCMG), 375 Knights and Dames Commander (KCMG and DCMG) an 1750 Companions (CMG) The chapel of the order, dedicated in 1906, is in St. Paul's Cathedral London, where a service is held every year. The chapel contains the banners and coats of arms of the knights grand cross. The order's badge depicts St. Michael encountering the devil, emblazoned with the order's motto Auspicium melioris aevi ("Token of a better age"); the other side portrays St. George and the dragon. | | |
| Feature Property for sale
Brand new villa with amazing views | |
Two-storey newly finished modern villa of 250sq.m in Kentroma at the North East coast. It sits on approx. 3,000 sq.m of land with uninterrupted panoramic sea views, all the way to Corfu Town and across to the Albanian mountain range. Self contained apartment on the lower-ground floor. The property is air-conditioned and centrally heated. Outdoor terraced and landscaped areas, large balcony, swimming pool, private driveway and parking. | |
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Kentroma village is located on the North East Coast of the island, 30 minutes drive from Corfu Town. The property itself is located outside the village, approximately 1km up-hill from the main coastal road and the village square. The high quality finishes, the breathtaking views, the small distance to the sea and the proximity to different bays such as Agni, Kalami, Kouloura, Avlaki and Kassiopi makes it an ideal purchase.
Asking price: € 1,200,000 - £ 1,011,539 http://www.x-rates.com
For further details please contact: nenilam@jonathanedunn.com or click here | |
| A lesser known fact about Corfu | |
The Museum of Asian Art on Corfu
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The only museum in Greece devoted exclusively to the art and antiquities of the Far East and India is the Museum of Asian Art on Corfu, housed in the Palace of St Michael and George. The Museum accommodates about 10,500 objects of Asian art, which come from the private collections of Gr. Manos, N. Chatzivasileiou and Ch.Chiotakis. Also included are individual items donated by I. Siniossoglou, P. Almanachos and I.Kollas.
Gregorios Manos (1928), the Greek ambassador to Austria, was the inspiration behind the founding of the Museum. He also lived in France, where he created a collection of about 9,500 objects of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese art, which he bought at art auctions in Vienna and mainly in Paris at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Manos donated his collection to the Greek state in 1919. The Museum was founded in 1927.
Nikolaos Chatzivasileiou( 1981) served as Greek ambassador to India and Japan. In 1974, he presented some valuable items from his collection to the Museum, such as Japanese and Korean screens, sculptures and paintings from Nepal and Tibet, and sculptures from Pakistan (Greco-Buddhist sculptures of Gandhara), India and Thailand.
Charilaos Chiotakis(1998), who was born in Asia Minor, came to Greece as a refugee after the Asia Minor Disaster of 1922 and in 1929 moved to Utrecht, Holland, where he turned his attention to the fur trade. In 1980 he donated 390 objects of Korean and Japanese art, as well as examples of Chinese porcelain dating from the 16th to the 18th century, wich were made for export to Europe.  A significant part of the above information was taken from the book “MUSEUM OF ASIAN ART ON CORFU” by Aglaia Karamanou, the Honorary Director of the Museum of Asian Art.
Aglaia Karamanou came to Corfu in 1970 and fell in love with the island and its antiquities. Due to her studies in Greek and French Literature as well as Archaeology she was called by the Museum to translate the catalogue of G. Manos Collection which was compiled by him in French and contained 6,876 entries. A few years later she became the Director of the Classical Antiquities Department which had the Museum under its authority. In 2000 the Museum becomes independent and until 2005 she was the Museum’s Director. On the 19th of November Aglaia gave us a private tour of the museum and, although it is impossible to impart 30 years of knowledge and experience with the collection within a short space of two hours, it was a thoroughly delightful experience and her passion was evident at every moment.
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A significant celebration
The name day of St. Spyridon 
On December 12th we have the biggest celebration on the island: the name day of Saint Spyridon, patron saint of Corfu. It is probably by far the most common name in Corfu, Spyros/Spyridonas for males and Spyridoula for females. Originally born in Cyprus towards the end of the 3rd century AD, Saint Spyridon was a simple shepherd, married with one daughter called Irene. He used all his means to help the needs of his neighbours and the homeless. After the death of his wife he was appointed the Bishop of Tremithus in Cyprus (306-337). As a bishop, the saint did not change his manner of life, but combined pastoral service with deeds of charity.
During his lifetime he gained the reputation as a wonder worker and has a number of miracles and divine gifts attributed to him. St. Spyridon died peacefully on December 12th, 348 AD. His relics remained in Cyprus until the middle of the seventh century when, because of the incursions made by the barbarians at that time, they were taken to Constantinople where they remained, being honoured by the emperors themselves. However just before the fall of Constantinople, which took place on May 29 th 1453, a certain priest named George Kalokhairetes, the parish priest of the church where the Saint's sacred relics were kept, took them away to preserve them from the impending peril. Travelling by way of Serbia, he came as far as Arta in Epirus, a region in Western Greece opposite to the isle of Corfu. He crossed over to Corfu around the year 1456. Still, nearly seventeen hundred years after his death, Saint Spyridon’s body remains incorrupt - apart from his right arm - in his silver sarcophagus in the Church named after him in the old part of Corfu town. It is believed to have generated an untold number of miracles.
His miracles saved Corfu in 4 different occasions that’s why his relics are paraded around the city four times a year:
The Procession of Palm Sunday – 1629 – saving Corfiots from plague
The Procession of the Holy Saturday which is the oldest one – 1553 – saving Corfu from famine
The Procession of the 11th of August – 1716 – saving Corfu from the Turkish siege
The Procession of the first Sunday in November – 1673 - saving Corfiots from plague
The Procession of the Saint’s name day on the 12th of December |
A Character from Corfu's past
Corfiot Villager, 1900 The photo is from the book of Dimitris Kantas "Traditional dresses of Corfu"
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| The Jonathan Edward Dunn Team | |
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