Saint Mark Catholic Church (Zakynthos Town)

 Roman Catholic church, 1960s construction

The Roman Catholic Church of St. Mark the Evangelist, was constructed in the early 17th century and was reconstructed twice: in 1747 and 1894. The Church – the jewel of the island, as is still called from people who have seen it – was completely destroyed, as the entire old city of Zakynthos, by the destructive earthquake of 1953. A great number of the icons, the organ, the historical archive, the library etc. were burnt from the big fire that broke out after the earthquake and likewise, damaged everything left in the whole town.
In the place of the initial Church was constructed, during the decade of 1960, the present building that keeps a part of the external characteristics of the old Church, while in the interior of the present building, were positioned the few preserved objects of the destructed Church. So, entering the Church one can observe the icon of St. Mark at the new Sanctuary, two of the big candelabras, at the left and at the right of the pedestal of the icon, the Holy Cross and the small marble baptismal font, that was at the entrance of the old Church and used for the holy water rites, and other smaller objects. Entering the Church at the left there is the icon of St. Paraskevi that together with the icon of St. Mark, are the only two icons that was rescued by the fire. On the floor of the new Church were placed the marble slabs of the old one. To this ancient Church also appertains and the first stair-step of the present Church. The renovation of the present building including the floor, the Altar the pedestal of St. Mark’s icon, the monstrance’s base that keeps the Eucharist, the pulpit, as well the renovation of lightening and of some furniture, took place in the early months of 1994.
In our days, there are no more Catholic Churches in the island of Zakynthos. However, in the past inside the fort of Zakynthos, there were several: The Cathedral of the Redeemer, St. Lucia’s Church, St. Stephen’s and St. Barbara’s Chapels and the Monastery of the Franciscans that was built in the 1307. Outside of the fort was the temple of the prophet Elijah, St. Antony’s and St. Ann’s Chapels, the Cemetary’s Chapel, ruins of which still exist in our days and the Monastery of the “Graces of the Virgin”. In the region of Lagana, in the place Kalogerata, existed a chapel dedicated to St. Theodori. There were also numerous prayer houses built by families inside their lands.
Until the early of 1960 there was a permanent priest who served the Catholics of the island. However, because of the destructions of the earthquake, most ofthe Catholics, as many of the other citizens of the island, moved for other cities of Greece – mainly Athens – and for other countries, such as Canada and Australia. So in our days, the priest of the Roman Catholic Church of Patras spiritually cares for the few Catholics residents of the island. During the summer, this Church cares spiritually for the foreign visitors of Zakynthos.
Ecclesiastically, Zakynthos belongs to the jurisdiction of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Corfu-Zakynthos-Cefalonia and the Roman Catholic Archbishop has his seat in Corfu.