Saint Spyridon and his litanies: Corfu's processions and the feast of 12 December

Spyridon grew up in Cyprus tending sheep, had little formal schooling, married and was soon widowed, and later became bishop of Trimythous. Source: star.gr

Speaking on his feast in December 2025, the Metropolitan of Corfu remembered a man who served the poor and the wronged and stood up for the faith at the First Ecumenical Council, which marked 1700 years that year. Source: imcorfu.gr

He is honoured as a wonderworker, and the Church keeps his memory every year on 12 December. Sources: star.gr; kerkyrasimera.gr

His body stayed in Cyprus for around three centuries and was taken to Constantinople towards the end of the seventh century, to keep it safe from Arab raids on the island. Sources: kerkyrasimera.gr; star.gr

After the fall of Constantinople it was brought for safety to Venetian ruled Corfu; Kerkyra Simera dates the move to 1456, when the priest Grigorios Polyeuktos carried it, with the relic of Saint Theodora, through Epirus to the island. Sources: star.gr; kerkyrasimera.gr

For centuries the relic stayed in private hands: Visit Corfu names the Boulgaris family as its owners, and Kerkyra Simera says the descendants of the owning family of priests handed it to the island's church authority in 1925. Sources: visit.corfu.gr; kerkyrasimera.gr

On the island it moved house several times, from Agios Athanasios to the Taxiarchis church in Kampiello, to a Boulgaris family church at San Rocco and, during the siege of 1537, into the Old Fortress, before the present church was built. Source: kerkyrasimera.gr

The church of Saint Spyridon opened in 1589, was finished around 1594 and is the centre of the island's religious life: a single aisled basilica in the Ionian style with a wooden beamed roof. Sources: visit.corfu.gr; kerkyrasimera.gr

Its bell tower looks remarkably like the one at San Giorgio dei Greci in Venice, and inside, among treasures and votive offerings, the relic rests in a silver reliquary made in Vienna in 1867, set to the right of the sanctuary in what is practically a side chapel. Sources: visit.corfu.gr; kerkyrasimera.gr

Corfu carries the relic through town four times a year, each time remembering a rescue credited to the saint: a plague in 1630 on Palm Sunday, a famine on Holy Saturday, the Ottoman siege of 1716 on 11 August and another plague, in 1673, on the first Sunday of November. Sources: star.gr; imcorfu.gr; orthodoxianewsagency.gr; imcorfu.gr; imcorfu.gr

On Palm Sunday the relic leaves the church at 11:00, straight after the Divine Liturgy, for the biggest litany of the year in both length and route, which follows the line of the old town walls. Source: corfutvnews.gr

The Holy Metropolis describes it as thanks for the island's rescue from plague in 1630; in 2026 Metropolitan Nektarios led it, with the island's philharmonic bands, schools, scouts and local authorities taking part. Source: imcorfu.gr

The Holy Saturday litany is the oldest of the four; the Holy Metropolis describes it as a custom from Venetian times that recalls the island's rescue from famine in 1553, and it sets off at 09:00. Sources: kerkyrasimera.gr; orthodoxianewsagency.gr; adologala.gr

It is also the day the church's own Epitaph goes out, on Holy Saturday rather than Good Friday, and by old tradition the bishop gives no blessing, as if Saint Spyridon himself were the bishop of the place. Sources: orthodoxianewsagency.gr; adologala.gr

The saint goes ahead of the Epitaph in the place of the presiding bishop, uncovered, while the canopy that is raised over him in the other litanies shades the Epitaph instead. Sources: kerkyrasimera.gr; sindetiras.gr

This is the shortest route of the year: from the north gate of the church along Filarmonikis and Evgeniou Voulgareos streets to the gate of the Old Fortress for a prayer, past the Bosketo and the Palace, through the Liston and down Nikiforou Theotoki street to Ionian Bank Square. Source: sindetiras.gr

The walk is silent apart from funeral marches by the town's three philharmonics: Kapodistrias plays the march from Beethoven's Third Symphony, Mantzaros plays Calde Lacrime by Cesare de Michelis and the Palaia plays the march from Franco Faccio's opera Amleto. Sources: sindetiras.gr; orthodoxianewsagency.gr

Afterwards, at the Vespers of the Resurrection in the Metropolitan church, bells ring across town as the Metropolitan chants Anasta o Theos and residents throw old clay pots from their balconies, the custom Visit Corfu calls the Breaking of Botides. Sources: kerkyrasimera.gr; visit.corfu.gr

The August litany remembers the Ottoman siege, which Visit Corfu says began on 24 June and ended in the early hours of 11 August 1716, a rescue Corfu credits to its saint. Source: visit.corfu.gr

Tradition holds that soldiers saw the saint leave his church on the night of the 10th as a monk holding a lit torch, and the Venetian authorities then decided to honour the relic with a procession every 11 August. Source: visit.corfu.gr

The municipal programme for 2026 traces the custom to a decision of 19 March 1717 and set the start for 09:00, with officials asked to arrive by 08:45. Source: kerkyrasimera.gr

Along the way two prayers are said, the first at the entrance of the Old Fortress in memory of the miracle and the second at the Palace, where the Metropolitan speaks to the crowd. Sources: imcorfu.gr; corfupress.com

Afterwards the relic stays out in the church for three days of veneration, day and night, and on 13 August at 18:00 it is laid back in its casket in the ceremony known as the Basmata. Source: kerkyrasimera.gr

Corfiots call it Protokyriako: on the first Sunday of November the relic is carried in memory of 1673, when, by tradition, the saint ended a plague that witnesses said stopped suddenly in the last days of October. Sources: kerkyrasimera.gr; imcorfu.gr

In 2025 the litany followed the morning liturgy with clergy, officials, five philharmonic bands, school pupils and scout groups; at the Old Fortress entrance came the customary kneeling and a prayer read by the Metropolitan, then a supplication in front of the Palace. Source: imcorfu.gr

It starts at 11:00, and the 2025 route ran from the church along Filarmonikis, M. Theotoki, Evg. Voulgareos, Vikt. Dousmani and Ag. Polytechniou streets to the Palace of Saint Michael and Saint George, then back by Eleftherias and Nik. Theotoki streets and the Plakada of Saint Spyridon. Source: kerkyrasimera.gr

The feast brings an all night vigil and a morning service at the shrine, with the relic standing at the church door for veneration and the Palaia, the Old Philharmonic, playing honours to the saint as Corfiot tradition asks. Source: imcorfu.gr

The 2025 programme brought the relic out on 11 December at 11:00 and laid it back in its casket, the Basmata, on 13 December at 16:00, and it also kept the church open around the clock and announced live streams of every service. Source: imcorfu.gr

Picture the relic carried through the Old Town among clergy and visiting bishops, with the Metropolitan of Corfu presiding and officials, philharmonic bands, schools and scouts taking part. Sources: corfupress.com; imcorfu.gr; imcorfu.gr

After the August litany, and again for the feast in December, the saint is set upright at the church door so the faithful can come close, venerate him and say their prayers. Sources: imcorfu.gr; corfupress.com; kerkyrasimera.gr

Be in town before the start: recent programmes give 09:00 for Holy Saturday and 11 August and 11:00 for Palm Sunday and the first Sunday of November. Sources: kerkyrasimera.gr; kerkyrasimera.gr; corfutvnews.gr; kerkyrasimera.gr

Expect company, as reports from 2025 and 2026 describe large crowds of Corfiots and visitors, and space inside the church is tight: for August 2026 the municipality limited the procession of the relic inside the church to a list of officials. Sources: ertnews.gr; corfupress.com; kerkyrasimera.gr

On 11 August the Metropolitan's address is given at the Palace; if you miss the walk, the relic stays out in the church for three days afterwards, and for December 2025 the Holy Metropolis announced live streams of its services. Sources: imcorfu.gr; kerkyrasimera.gr; imcorfu.gr

Next up are Sunday 1 November 2026 for Protokyriako and Saturday 12 December 2026 for the feast; recent programmes came out only days ahead (the December 2025 one on 10 December), so check the Holy Metropolis and local press that week. Sources: kerkyrasimera.gr; imcorfu.gr; star.gr

In 2027 Orthodox Easter falls on 2 May, so the Palm Sunday litany is on 25 April and the Holy Saturday litany on 1 May, based on the Paschalion of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; the August litany falls on Wednesday 11 August 2027. Source: goarch.org