лазарето корфу

Lazareto island

Lazareto island in Corfu

The islet of Lazaretto is located in the north-eastern part of Corfu town, next to the island of Vidos, has an area of 70.000 sq.m., is located two nautical miles from the city and is owned by the Greek Municipality. The island is a place of special beauty with lush and diverse vegetation and is of great historical value.

The name Lazaretto (Lazzaretto) in connection with the use of the island for a quarantine station at the time of the Venetian rule (early 16th century) on the island of Corfu. for plague patients to reduce the flow of the disease. The name Nazaretum, over time, was renamed Lazareth. This was the name of all the quarantine hospitals founded by the Venetians in Europe (also known as "Lazaret" and are found on the islands of

On Lazaretto, almost all buildings have been preserved, at all stages of the history of the island. In particular, the Church of St. Demetrius is of particular historical and architectural interest. Now the church is without a roof, a two-story brick building made of massive stone. One part of the wall connected with the quarantine, which bordered on the wall of execution and a cemetery with about 200 graves with marble crosses.

History of Lazareto Island

• The first monastery was built on the island during the Venetian rule (beginning of the 16th century).

• Used as a quarantine station for four centuries until the early 20th century. The geographical position of the island of Corfu as a port was very important for the Venetians. The island was used for shipping and trade (for this reason, Corfu is called the "capital" of the Adriatic). Ships arriving in Corfu from other countries stopped at about. Lazaretto for 40 days to prevent the plague. During this time, if there were no cases of infection, only then the ship could reach the harbor of Corfu. There were three employees in Corfu who were responsible for health issues, who had the title of "Council of Health." Two of these were elected by the city council, and the third was the head of the quarantine, appointed by the medical authorities of Venice. Hospital workers, soldiers and generals worked on the island, and the necessary premises were built. The quarantine station was reconstructed during the period of British rule, and lasted until the unification of Corfu with Greece , and was used from time to time, for several years in later years, when it was needed.

• During the Russian-Turkish rule, a military hospital was established on about. Lazareto led by FF Ushakov

• During the Second World War, the Italian occupation forces set up a partisan camp on the island, where the Greek patriots put up resistance.

• 1946-1949 During the civil war on the island of Lazareto, the death penalty was executed for those convicted of treason. About 200 people were executed and buried in graves still unknown. According to the civil status records preserved in the municipality of Corfu, there is a written list of 112 executions carried out. For these reasons, the island has been declared a historical monument.

• Since 1976, the Lazaret club was created by relatives of those shot on the island, which took care of the preservation of the island, turning it into a place of historical memory.

Currently, the island of Lazaretto can be reached by renting a boat from the Kondokali Hotel.