“In this town near the sea, there was a castle and a rock where a dragon lived. The dragon flew over the town every day and polluted the air with its fiery breath, and the inhabitants died. Those who survived left the town, and the town was abandoned.”

This is a legend about the village of Kassiopi, one of the sea ports of Corfu. Now it is one of the resort areas. True, there are no large hotel complexes there, only small hotels, apartments, a bunch of taverns, bakeries, cafes on the promenade… In the summer, pleasure boats depart from the port, taking you on excursions along the unique east coast of the island. There are several beaches of unique beauty in the bays.

Kassiopi is located in the northeastern part of the island, about 37 km from Corfu Town, or about 18 nautical miles by sea. Once a place that was quite difficult to reach by mountain roads, Kassiopi is the first place on Corfu, and indeed in Greece, mentioned in travelogues. 

The area was inhabited as early as the 4th-2nd centuries BC, and was a thriving city during Roman times. Cicero, Ptolemy, and even the Roman emperor Nero, who had a summer villa here, visited Cassiopeia.

The Kassiopi fortress, whose remains rise on a hill above the harbor, was built on a Roman castle during the Byzantine period, probably in the 12th century, and the Venetians, having destroyed it in 1386, occupied the harbor of Kassiopi. And nearby, since the early Christian period, the church of Panagia Kasopitri has stood near the harbor, in a place visible from passing ships.

PANAGIA KASSIOPITRA CHURCH AND THE MIRACULOUS ICON

Panagia Kassiopitra is the patron saint of ships and sailors. Ships sailing further to the Ionian Sea and Greece had to pass through dangerous straits through Kassiopi. Storms often arose here. The port of Kassiopi was an excellent shelter from the raging waves. The port also had fresh water springs, vital for ships and their passengers. Therefore, sailors worshipped Panagia Kassiopitra to stay alive during storms. Both merchant, pilgrim and warships, sailing along the port, greeted Panagia Kassiopitra with cannon shots.

The church was very close to the port and visible from the sea, many pilgrims only saw it from the ship and never went ashore. Or the crew would send only one or a few pilgrims to make an offering to the Virgin and continue their journey.

It is not clear when the church of Kassiopi was built, but it probably stands on the ruins of the former temple of Zeus. The lively city during the Roman and Byzantine periods later became deserted. The area around the church was uninhabited at least until the 14th and early 15th centuries, so there were no buildings around the church except for those of the “kalogeri” (Greek priests or monks). They served and maintained the increasingly famous church, living off the income from donations from pious visitors. And on the hill above the church stood the ruins of a castle, which, according to legend, was destroyed by a dragon.

The church housed the famous miraculous icon of the Virgin Cassopitras. An eternal lamp burned here, which “always burns and is full of oil, never refilled,” and at least one other lamp was installed on the back wall, as well as the tooth and rib of the dragon that, according to legend, destroyed the castle. People said that the oil from the lamp burning in front of the miraculous icon of the Virgin was a powerful remedy for fever: if you soaked a piece of bark from a fig tree growing behind the chapel. The oil also protected against stormy weather, which was very important for those traveling by sea. 

The fame of the icon of the Virgin Cassopitra grew even more in 1530. Stefan, a young Greek peasant, was wrongly accused of theft and had his eyeballs gouged out. Stefan, with his mother, asked to spend the night in the church, he slept under the icon, and in the morning his eyes miraculously opened – he could see. His previously brown eyes turned blue. The news of the miracle spread very quickly throughout the island, as well as to the neighboring coasts of Epirus and Albania, and several churches dedicated to the Virgin Cassopitra were founded. 

When the Ottoman Turks attacked the island in the 16th century, they also destroyed the Church of Cassiopeia (although in reality the church had no strategic importance). The church was completely destroyed and pillaged, except for the icon of the Virgin Mary. It is said that one Turk tried to remove the silver icon, which is usually offered by the faithful, and was blinded. More than one Turk dared not touch it.

The English clergyman and travel writer George Wheeler, describing his visit to the church in 1686, describes how Greek monks would collect offerings. The devout would place coins on the fresco to see if they would stick or fall off, thus determining whether the person they were referring to was alive or dead.

BYZANTINE FORTRESS

Another building that dates back to ancient times is the Byzantine fortress of Kassiopi. It is now completely abandoned, with the walls remaining, and olive trees growing in the middle. The perimeter of the castle is 1.073 km long and is quadrangular in shape with 19 strong towers protecting the walls. The area of ​​the castle is 35,177 m2. The central castle tower has disappeared, but the main gate is there, with two strong towers on either side.
 The thickness of the wall at the gate is 1.9 m. 

The Cassiopi Cultural Association organizes the Kassiopi Zeus Running Race every year. The event is aimed at athletes. There are various running tracks.

If anyone would like to join, this year it is planned for May 15th. Information and registration here https://kassiosdias.gr/en/