Presented by Ms. A. Karavas, English Teacher
(photos from teacher's personal archive)
The Museum of
Asian Art of Corfu, the only museum in Greece devoted exclusively to the art
and antiquities of the Far East and India, is housed in the Palace of Saints
Michael and George. This neoclassical building is made of Malta's porous stone
and was built between 1818 and 1823 by Sir Thomas Maitland (1759-1824), the
first officer of the Ionian Islands, during which time Corfu was under British
occupation (1814-1864). Maitland was also the Grand Master of the Order of
Saints Michael and George. The Order owes its name to the Palace. The building,
apart from a spacious residence for the Commissioner, was mainly used as the
British Administrative Center (HQ). At the same time, it was the seat of the
Ionian Senate and, for some time, the Ionian Parliament, but mainly the Order
of Saints Michael and George. The Palace was designed by Sir George Whitmore
(1775-1862), an English army engineer and architect.