Palace of St. Michael and St. George
Palace of St. Michael and St. George | |
---|---|
Ανάκτορο των Αγίων Μιχαήλ και Γεωργίου | |
General information | |
Status | Intact |
Type | Palace |
Architectural style | Neoclassical |
Location | Corfu City, Corfu, Greece |
Coordinates | 39°37′33″N 19°55′28.9″E / 39.62583°N 19.924694°E |
Named for | Order of St Michael and St George |
Construction started | 1819 |
Completed | 1824 |
Technical details | |
Material | Limestone |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | George Whitmore |
The Palace of St. Michael and St. George (
The building is also known as the Royal Palace, the City Palace,[1] or locally by the Greek name Palaia Anaktora (Παλαιά Ανάκτορα; literally "Old Palace").
History
The palace was commissioned by Sir
The palace was designed in the
After the union of Corfu with the
Today the palace houses the
The two gateways which flank the palace are the gate of St. Michael and the gate of St. George. The state rooms consist of a grand staircase, a rotunda in the centre leading to two large rooms, the Throne Room and the state dining room. The palace was renovated for the European Union Summit meeting in 1994.
Gardens
The palace gardens, complete with old Venetian stone aquariums, exotic trees and flowers, overlook the bay through old Venetian fortifications and turrets. The local sea baths are at the foot of the fortifications surrounding the gardens. A café on the grounds includes its own art gallery, with exhibitions of both local and international artists. It is locally known as the Art Café. From the same spot, the viewer can observe ships passing through the narrow channel of the historic Vido island (Βίδο Κέρκυρας) to the north, on their way to Corfu harbour (Νέο Λιμάνι), with high speed retractable aerofoil ferries from Igoumenitsa cutting across the panorama. A wrought-iron aerial staircase is also to be found, closed to garden visitors, descending to the sea from the gardens, and formerly used by the Greek royal family as a shortcut to the baths. Following the end of the Greek monarchy, the old Royal Gardens are now known as the "Garden of the People" (Ο Κήπος του Λαού).
Gallery
-
View of the entrance
-
Front view
-
Gardens
-
Interior
-
Meeting room of the Ionian Senate
References
- ^ "History In Corfu – The Palace of St. Michael & George". In-Corfu.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017.
- ^ "Palace of St. Michael and St. George". terrabook. Archived from the original on 13 November 2017.
- ^ Ellul, Michael (1982). "Art and architecture in Malta in the early nineteenth century" (PDF). Proceedings of History Week: 16–17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 April 2016.
Bibliography
- Kardamitsi-Adami, Maro (2009). Palaces in Greece. Melissa Books. ISBN 978-960-204-289-2.
- Great Palaces. Spring Books. 1964.