Kassiopi

Kassiopi is a small town in the NE of Corfu, at the foothill of the Pantokrator mountain.

Kassiopi is 35 km from Corfu City.

In the Roman period Kassiopi was after Corcyra the most important city of the island.

Kassiopi is mentioned by Cicero wo visited the city for 7 days. The imperator Nero visited Kassiopi singing a song for Jupiter in the Temple of Zeus, which was near the church Panagia Kassopitra. Another roman imperator, Tiberius, was also in Kassiopi. It is possible that the name Kassiopi is derived from Jupiter Cassios.

Kassiopi Satellite image

Kassiopi

Kassiopi view form the castle , 12.09.2005 (Source)

Zeus temple

Remains of a temple of Zeus near the church Panagia Kassopitra were found 1970.

Panagia Kassopitra (The church of the Blessed Virgin Kassiopitra )

Panagia Kassopitra was a Basilica church destroyed 1590/1 by the Turks. It was rebuild by the Venetians as a Roman Catholic church. Since the 17-th century it is an orthodox church. An inscription reminds that the persons involved in the building of the church in the Venetian period were Petro Francisco Malipetro, Philippo Pascalico and Nicolao Suriano who was responsible for the decoration.

According to a legend a jung man who was blinded for robbery regained his eyesight after his mother prayed in the church. It was the 8th May 1530 and since then the 8th May is an official holiday in Kassiopi.

Castle

The Neapolitan house of Anjou controlled Corfu in the period 1267-1386. During this period a castle was build in Kassiopi.

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