Platytera Monastery, Orthodox monastery in Mandouki, Corfu, Greece
Platytera Monastery is a male Orthodox monastery in Corfu's New Town, between the Agios Rokkis and Mandoukio districts. Its katholikon, rebuilt after 1800, holds a gilded carved-wood rococo iconostasis, many Byzantine icons of the Virgin, and Italian-style paintings. The 28-metre bell tower, begun in 1864 and finished in 1866, leans slightly after ground settlement.
The monastery was founded in 1741 and faced hardship during the French occupation of 1797. It was rebuilt after a major fire in 1798 and has remained in place since that time.
The monastery's name comes from "Platytera ton Ouranon" ("Wider than the Heavens"), an epithet of the Virgin in the Liturgy of Basil the Great, though the main altar is dedicated to her Dormition. Its feast is celebrated on 15 August. In the narthex stand the tombs of Ioannis Kapodistrias, the historian Andreas Moustoxydis and the theologian Georgios Metallinos, alongside the founders and abbots.
The monastery sits within walking distance of Corfu Town's central bus station, making it easy to reach by public transport. The area around it is straightforward to navigate and the site is simple to locate.
Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first governor of independent Greece, is buried in the monastery's narthex beside his father, Count Antonios Kapodistrias. His body was brought from Nafplio by his brother Augustinos after his assassination in 1831. The narthex also holds the tombs of the historian Andreas Moustoxydis and the theologian Georgios Metallinos.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,578 contributors worldwide.