Nafplion Church of Agios Spyridon

Location: Town

The Church of Agios (Saint) Spiridon in Nafplion, Peloponnese: The church of Agios Spyridon is located in the Old Town of Nafplion, along with the paved streets of the town. This church was first built in 1702 with the financing of the Nafplion Brotherhood of Orthodox Greeks. This is a single-space basilica with a dome and a bell tower constructed in 1853. The interior of the church is solemn and there are many Byzantine icons and paintings around the walls.

The painting that marks out for its vivid colors and its unusual theme is the large fresco of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, just opposite the entrance door. Also, another unusual sign for an Orthodox church is the Star of David, a Jewish symbol that can be seen at the floor, almost in the center of the church.

This church has an important historical significance for the Greeks. It was there that on September 27th, 1831, the first governor of the newly-established Greek State, Ioannis Kapodistrias, was assassinated by his political opponents, some men from the Mavrokordatos family, a wealthy and strong family that time in Greece who had contributed a lot in the Greek War of Independence.

That Sunday morning, Kapodistrias was going to the Holy Mass. As usually, he preferred this church that was dedicated to Saint Spiridon, the protector of his homeland, Corfu. Few men appeared from the stairs opposite the church and shot him. In fact, some of these bullets still have their prints against the wall of the church. These prints have been framed in a glass case.