For almost six centuries, the oldest Corfu house of the Venetian rule remains “alive” in the “heart” of the Old Town

It is located at number 18 of Filellinon Street, at district of Campielos, one of the largest and most densely populated districts of the Old Town. It highlights the first form of urban architectural construction created by the Venetians on the island, revealing the urban morphology of the city that was used by its conquerors as a military and naval base.

The reason for the oldest Corfu town house of the Venetian rule that withstood the end of the years, the severe earthquakes that mercilessly hit the Ionian islands, but also the devastating bombardment of the island during the Second World War.

Its facade elements reveal the simple architecture that the Venetians used for the urban fabric of the city, with elements of the Renaissance and Mannerism.

The well-kept, elaborate construction of carved stone at its entrance reveals that it is a Corfu town house of the Venetian period, apparently a mansion, as it has two floors, is broad-fronted with a flat surface and a horizontal row of windows. It has the color of ocher and its shutters remain green, elements used by the Venetians in urban buildings.

The heavy wooden staircase that connects the floors stands out from the entrance door.

This old building with such important historical architectural weight is a sample of the Venetian architecture of building units in linear repetition, of different sizes, which were built in a row and joined together.

The appearance of the building reveals the Venetian urban single-family house or popular apartment building in contrast always with the monumental, austere architecture of their public buildings.

It is not known whether an aristocratic family lived in this building, or a family of merchants, as in the historical center of Corfu, during the Venetian rule, there were no class criteria in the settlements. The districts were characterized by zones with a commercial character or by zones where the buildings had workshops on their ground floor. Campiello was a sample of pure residence as it is today.

The building is located in a cantonment only two meters wide, but of particular importance as it led to the port.

Filellinon street (Mastraca, as the Venetians called it), was considered one of the main routes as it was an extension of Agios Spyridonos street (Cale del Santo) that led to the port, today’s Mitropoleos Square or the old port as it is now popularly known.

In 2012, in a meeting held with the representatives of the Chamber, the professional bodies of the old city and the head of the Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities, Tenia Rigakou, it was proposed that Philellinon street be used as a “pilot” street that would show how they could practically be transformed, as towards the operation of commercial and tourist businesses, the streets and alleys of the historic center, in order to harmonize with the requirements of the obligations of Corfu in the context of the designation of the city as a UNESCO monument.

On the carved stone slab, at the entrance of the oldest Corfu town house of the Venetian rule, blooming flowers are depicted embracing the heavy wooden door, while the year of construction of the building is written in 1447.

It may have been 575 years since then, but the imposing Venetian building is still alive. Its interiors were renovated, while a family lives on each floor. A law office is also housed in the same space, while small shops operate on its ground floor, some with tourist items and others with jewelry.

“The building is very strong and has stood the test of time. The story of the first occupant of the house is not known, but it is still active, with families still living here who love and care for it. Just as we take care of our shop, which we completely renovated internally”, the young shop owner Vasiliki Isidora Tsogou will tell APE-MPE, welcoming with a huge smile the dozens of tourists who will pass through the busiest cantonment of Filellinon Street. How many of them will notice the oldest Venetian house in Corfu is not known, but what is certain is that most of them will stop to take pictures in front of the ornate entrance of the house not knowing that it carries a history of almost six centuries.

RES-EMP

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