Catholic Cathedral (Duomo) of Saints James and Christopher
The Old Catholic Cathedral was located in the old fortress of Corfu and was dedicated to the Apostles Peter and Paul and like many other churches, it was demolished at the end of the Venetian occupation and the years that followed (St. Justina, Panagia of Carmine, Panagia of Rodariou etc.)
The New Catholic Metropolis dedicated to Saints James (hence the name of the nearby theatre and later town hall of San Giacomo) and Christopher was consecrated on 31 December 1553 by Archbishop James Cocco, and in 1658 it was completely renovated by Archbishop Charles Labbia. On 23 October 1709 it was renovated again by Archbishop Augustus Zacco and since then it has been the centre of worship for the Catholics of the island. In 1905 it was renovated in its present form, while the interior was completely destroyed by the German air force on the night of 13 September 1943.
Today it functions as the Catholic Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of the Archdiocese of Corfu, Kefalonia - Zante. It is a single aisle church with six chapels, the Crucified Christ dominates the central Holy Bema. On the left, the chapels of Christ King of the Universe, the post-Byzantine icon of the Virgin of Health and St. Therese of Lizier. On the right, the three chapels are dedicated to Saints Spyridon and Arsenios, the Ascension of the Virgin Mary and the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist. Some remarkable ecclesiastical paintings and funerary monuments are preserved in the church. The reconstruction of the church after the bombings of the Second World War was completed in 1970 by the Catholic Archbishop Anthony Barthalitis, while in 2011 the new Catholic Archbishop John Spiteris renovated the Holy Step and the roof of the monument.
The Holy Catholic Cathedral and Parish Church of Saints James and Christopher was officially recognized as a Religious Legal Entity, with Recognition Decision Number 2/23-06-2015 of the First Instance Court of Corfu.
Address: Piazza San Giacomo, Corfu 491 00.
Phones: 2661030271, 6944592989.
